Sevilay Maria van Dorst

Sevilay Maria (1984) discusses the themes of our modern days through a photography technique from 1851. Within this duality, she looks further than the obvious, observing social issues rather than submerging with the subject. Sevilay challenges herself to see beyond the distraction of the conspicuous to capture a unique self. As a photographer she embodies a similar paradox as her work, uniting the artistic creative with a boldly disciplined chemist. The storms of her past granted Sevilay an inexhaustible drive and an affection for the challenging way out. And so, while she’s an experienced digital photographer as well, it was the complexity of collodion wet plating that has drawn her towards this specific photography technique that relies on meticulous execution of the chemical process involved.


Besides addressing social issues in her personal projects such as #MYOWNGENDER, Sevilay has worked for Parool, PS, Volkskrant, KLM and ID Magazine.

Apart from her photography, she’s currently leading a research on finding a bio-based alternative for the hazardous materials used for collodion wet plating.