Erika Lakatos comes to fine arts from a family of renowned musicians. She has been an award- winning photographer in Washington, a prodigious contemporary artist, and an experimental jazz singer. In 1994, enrolling and winning a scholarship at Long Island University to study jazz, she chose photography as her second major. Professor of Photographic Art Stuart Fishelson was a great inspiration to the young artist, introducing her to alternative techniques which she quickly learned how to use, embellish and transform. She experimented with sepia technique in the creation of miniature photographs, she also likes to improvise with image transfer and often worked with instant film, which she scanned, blew up and enhanced with hand-painting. Although a great admirer of Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, and André Kertész and Robert Capa, among others, her guiding principle is experimentation, the playful development of creativity and freedom. “Since many parallels have been drawn between music, fine arts and documentary film directing. I would only add that the genre of jazz is closely interconnected with improvisation, as is my visual bending and blending of boundaries, always seeking new forms and ways of expression.”In 1997, Prof. Fishelson was so impressed by Erika’s photo Princess Sophia’s Dream that he encouraged her to submit her work to an international university photography contest. The photo won the top Creative Award of the contest, and it remains a branding image for the Long Island University in New York Media Department.
​
In the meantime, she has been continuously active in music, where she navigates, experiments easily between different styles while authentically blending melodies of Flamenco, Roma, Indian and mainstream jazz. Erika is also a creative mentor for disadvantaged children. This plays an important role in her life, as it gives her great pleasure to see children grow in hope, confidence and understanding and be happy while learning through art and creativity. After earning her M.A. in music and photography and exhibiting at many New York venues, she taught drawing at a public school in Brooklyn until she moved back to Hungary in 2004. She exhibits frequently at a long list of galleries in Europe, recently Budapest Ludwig Museum the Pallace of Art where she also gives interactive “Art and Tolerance” workshops. Ms Lakatos also performed and exhibited in Paris at Hungarian Institute, Tampere Labor Museum, Helsinki Savoy Theatre Gallery, Berlin Gallery Kai Dikhas and Hungarian Academy in Roma. Just recently in 2016 Ms Lakatos art work was selected by Károly Kincses photo-museologyst to Highness crown Prince of Dubai Seikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Art Exhibition and to his art collection book “Dubai Photo Exhibiton”, to present her art work. Same year Erikas work also was also choosen to be a part of Esztergom Photo Biennale exhibition an art collection book, as well as was selected to exhibit at “Pajta” private gallery and represent her art work at art collection photography book “Pajtabook”. Recently in 2017 Ms. Lakatos represented her art work at first Romani women exhibition “Painted Dreams” in New York United Nation, she sang at the opening and was invited to present her work by Katalin Bogyai US Hungarian Cultural Ambassador to introduce her “Art, Tolerance and Equality” workshop at an International Women Empowerment conference at the United Nation. In 2017 Erika was also invited to participate and represent her view on “Romani Image and Identity” at “Culture Beyond Borders” international conference in Boston at Harvard University. In 2017 Ms. Lakatos was honored to be invited to collaborate with the legendary Orhan Galjus journalist and documentary film director, to a be a creative partner in production work in Budapest. The special project called “ Roma Holocaust and Identity” The main goal is to give respect, to research, educate and tell the story, the message of Romani holocaust survivals to the next generation.
​
Central to her multi talented art, which continually strives to expand and blur the boundaries of fine art photography in to music and film, is the portrait serves her first and gives the basic to development of her own ideas into project from still to moving images. Erika Lakatos refers to a group of such portrait images as unique, distinct hand-painted icons. According to the curator Károly Kincses, the exhibition Roma Icons, New York – Budapest, 1996 – 2011 opening in the Hungarian House of Photography on March 24 will not leave any visitor unaffected:
​
“Polaroids, Polaroid transfers – all subsequently re-touched, painted, and refashioned by hand. The blow-ups display a variety of themes, a palette of colors, as well as the unique development of her art. The result produces an intense emotional effect unequalled to anything seen before, impressing even the photo curator, who has to look at countless photos on a daily basis. “Besides the wild and rampant proliferation of images, colors, and shapes in her work, the photographer’s individual mode of composition is also particularly her own. In my opinion, Roma Icons will or may be an event in Hungarian photography that helps promote dialogue between the two cultures, naturally accept being different, gain an understanding of its implicit values, whilst concurrently offering the talented Ms. Lakatos the opportunity to present her work of art. Such articulation of artistic expression does not often occur in Hungarian photographic art and as such, is exemplary. Awarded the title of Photographer of the Year in 1997 in Washington, Ms. Erika Lakatos demonstrates subjectivity with novelty and quality – an approach we have been waiting for, for a very long time.”