To highlight the need for well-regulated marine protected areas, Emery has created a portfolio of over 100 underwater images

Emery has created a growing portfolio of over 100 marine photographs in an effort to underscore the critical need for marine protected areas. Her images hover between representation and pure form, creating a sense of the uncanny where organic structures appear both familiar and alien, elevating the fragile, liminal spaces of marine ecosystems. By removing the impulse to identify and categorize, Emery fosters a sense of awe and urgency—a quiet but powerful plea for conservation.

In the mid 90s Emery’s father co-established Wakatobi, a Dive Resort and Collaborative Reef Conservation Program within the Tukang Besi Archipelago, which at the time turned 6km of privately sponsored reef sanctuaries into an effective no-fishing zone. By 2002 the success of ongoing efforts set a precedent for human rights based conservation, leading the Indonesian government to expand the area to over 1.39 million hectares and creating what is known today as Wakatobi National Park. In 2012 it was added to the list of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, recognising it as one of the most biodiverse marine habitats with the highest number of reef and fish species in the world.