Emy Ori is a Chicago-based, trilingual artist originally from Hungary. Currently a junior at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), her work investigates memory, displacement, and the search for belonging, reflecting her experience living across five countries in fourteen years. Through self-portraiture, tableau photography, and experimental digital techniques, Ori transforms personal experiences of migration and impermanence into visual narratives that are both intimate and universally resonant.
Her practice explores the tension between presence and absence, often positioning herself as both subject and observer to reflect the emotional landscapes of home, identity, and longing. By blending digital photography with analog-inspired techniques, she balances clarity and ambiguity, inviting viewers to engage with what is seen, unseen, and implied.
Her series 10 Places No Home and Fragments Suspendus explore themes of absence, fragility, and transformation. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Perspective Gallery in Chicago, PH21 Gallery in Budapest, and Art-Icon Space in Paris. She continues to expand her practice through curated group exhibitions and zine publications, blending accessibility with conceptual depth.
Currently Exhibiting in: Brooklyn, NY
Web: emese-ori.pixpa.com
Instagram: @by.emyori
Portfolio: Cyanotypes
Featured Artwork at Bushwick Gallery
Title: Mese
Year of Creation: 2025
Medium: Polaroid emulsion lift on watercolor paper
Dimensions: 8 x 10 in
Edition Type: Unique, 1 of 1
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Price: $500
Description
Mese — named after the artist’s childhood nickname — is part of a series where one small moment of happiness was photographed each day for a month. The image is printed on Polaroid instant film and lifted onto watercolor paper through a delicate emulsion transfer process.
This tactile technique distorts and softens the original image, turning an ephemeral moment into a lasting, contemplative object. The work captures the act of slowing down to honor transient joy, transforming the ordinary into something quietly luminous.
The result is both intimate and universal — a meditation on memory, presence, and the gentle persistence of joy in everyday life.
Exhibition Information
Exhibition Title: Fractured Beauty: The Elegance of Imperfection
Curated by: Veronica de Oliveira Castro
Theme: This exhibition challenges the concept of perfection by embracing dissonance, flaws, and irregularity, capturing the allure of the broken, the incomplete, and the chaotic.
Exhibition Dates: October 23 – October 30, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 23, 2025 / 6 PM – 8 PM
Private Showings & Events: Invite-only throughout the week