Emese Tóthová

In this series, I explore the cultural and intergenerational connections associated with my own name, Emese. It means “mother” or “little mother” and traces its origins to Hungarian mythology: The primordial mother, a sacred symbol of fertility, is impregnated in a dream by a Turul bird. Similar to how the mythical Emese receives the promise of her future through a dream, this series serves as a form of inner visual reflection. 
At the heart of the project is the preparation for motherhood, a process set against the backdrop of demographic and existential dilemmas. My personal engagement with this topic intertwines with questions surrounding the significance of starting a family in a time of global crises. The series moves away from idealized depictions of motherhood and instead depicts several phases of psychological maturation: a threshold where the individual’s desire for freedom and the assumption of archaic roles merge in the shadow of an uncertain future. “Emese’s Dream” is a visual diary of a personal and cross-generational search for identity.

Biography

Emese Tóthová, b. 1997 in Slovakia; lives and works in Paris (FR) and Budapest (HU). She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Photography from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest in 2022, and with a master’s degree from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp in 2024. Since 2019 she has been a member of the Studio of Young Photographers. Her first solo exhibition took place at the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in 2024. In 2026, Tóthová was selected as a FUTURES Talent, nominated by the Robert Capa Center.