Bolega Niki – Photographer
Bolega Niki was born in Budapest in 1984. She discovered photography during her high school years and went on to study Communication and Media Studies at the University of Szeged, where she earned her degree in 2011. That same year, she decided to fully commit to a life in photography. She completed her qualification in applied photography in 2012 and spent the following years working as an assistant in the studio of Tamás Kaunitz, gaining hands-on experience in various genres of photography. Since then, she has been working independently.
As a commercial photographer, she has collaborated with many major Hungarian magazines including Runner’s World, Playboy Hungary, Glamour, Elle, and she is the official photographer of the culinary platform Lila füge. She is also a frequent collaborator of chef and TV personality Dóra Havas, and regularly photographs for restaurants and food brands.
In recent years, Niki’s artistic focus has shifted towards exploring more personal themes through autonomous photographic work. Her artistic language is defined by clarity, quietude, and minimalism — aiming to convey internal states, memories, and emotions through visual form.
Her long-term projects often investigate the relationship between nature and built environments. She has spent months photographing wild birds in their natural habitat, and has created visual studies of brutalist and socialist-modernist architecture across Hungary. One of her most significant projects is a comprehensive documentation of Hungarian water towers, which culminated in the publication of her photobook 100 Water Towers in 2025.
The year 2025 marked a turning point in her career, with two solo exhibitions: Heterotopias at MOMkult, focusing on architectural photography, and 100 Water Towers at Bäse Budapest.
Her images can be seen as sensitive portraits of objects, buildings, and landscapes — softly lit and atmospherically composed. Rather than focusing on architectural structure, her work reveals the unique personality and emotional presence of each subject.
Bolega Niki is an ambassador of Pigmenta Art Lab and co-host of the art-focused podcast Alkotók egymást közt("Creators Among Each Other").
Selected Exhibitions & Publications
2021 – Várkert Bazár, PiCi Exhibition
2024 – 100 Water Towers (photobook)
2025 – MOMkult, Heterotopias (solo exhibition)
2025 – Bäse Budapest, 100 Water Towers (solo exhibition)
2025 – Éva Magazin, My World – 8-page photo essay