Reka Nyari

Born in 1979 in Helsinki, and raised in Finland and Hungary, Nyari came to New York City at the age of seventeen. After studying at The School of Visual Arts, she started modeling and discovered her interest in photography. The cinematography and eccentric narratives of Roman Polanski and David Lynch influence her work as much as the art of Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, Miles Aldridge, and Cindy Sherman. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums in the United States and Europe. She has received awards from prestigious organizations, including first place Winner of International Photography Awards (IPA in 2010 and 2022). Her 225-page Monograph titled “Femme Fatale: Female Erotic Photography” is published in 6 languages and sold out worldwide. Her video art piece raised $200,000 for charity during Art Basel 2021 and was featured in the New York Times.

Living and working in New York City, Reka Nyari’s practice spans from fine art photography and videography, to elaborate installation and performance pieces. Oscillating between mischievous eroticism and wistful splendor, her work employs and explores traditional ideals of beauty and gender to portray sexuality from a predominantly female perspective. Nyari’s images of nude figures are not strictly intended as alluring portraits – while deriving their emotional charge from the familiar motifs of erotic photography, they expand the pictorial vocabulary to the realm of narratives, layering in personal histories and fictitious content. Unapologetically, Nyari embeds luscious and empowered bodies in luminous landscapes or against staged backdrops. Nudity, gesture, gaze, as well as objects, become intrinsically linked to the feminine identity.