Imagine a world where humanity transcends the dominant ways of understanding ourselves, our relationships, and the fragile natural world we share. This vision drives my practice as I explore cracks in Western societal constructs—human-centric, male-dominated narratives—and reimagine alternatives.
My name is Aline Papenheim (*1997, Germany; they/them), a non-binary photographer and visual storyteller pursuing a Master’s degree in Photography & Society at KABK, the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, NL.
Growing up in a rural, traditional environment where certain identities and perspectives were marginalized, I often felt torn between societal expectations and my own sense of self. This tension ignited a deep curiosity about human behavior and the constructs that shape our lives.
Photography, for me is a collaborative and transformative process—a tool to reveal possibilities just beyond our perception. Through collaborative and embodied experiments, I use the camera as a tool to translate complex relationships into moments of emotional connection beyond words.
As a neurodivergent and queer artist, I protest the very constructs that have shaped me, drawing from my own experience of navigating, adapting to, and liberating myself from them. This tension fuels my search for alternatives in visual and emotional language—soft, introspective, and deeply resonant. My practice is rooted in queer theory and sociological concepts, creating spaces that welcome otherness as an integral part of nature’s biodiversity.
Photography, for me is a collaborative and transformative process—a tool to reveal possibilities just beyond our perception. Through collaborative and embodied experiments, I use the camera as a tool to translate complex relationships into moments of emotional connection beyond words.
As a neurodivergent and queer artist, I protest the very constructs that have shaped me, drawing from my own experience of navigating, adapting to, and liberating myself from them. This tension fuels my search for alternatives in visual and emotional language—soft, introspective, and deeply resonant. My practice is rooted in queer theory and sociological concepts, creating spaces that welcome otherness as an integral part of nature’s biodiversity.
Aline Papenheim
*1997, Germany
Photographer &
Conceptual Visual Storyteller
The Hague
Cologne
Sauerland
info[at]alinepape.com
*1997, Germany
Photographer &
Conceptual Visual Storyteller
The Hague
Cologne
Sauerland
info[at]alinepape.com
education & work experience
2023–today
M.A. Student, Photography & Society
Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague, Netherlands (since 2023)
2023–today
M.A. Student, Photography & Society
Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague, Netherlands (since 2023)
2019–today
Freelancer as a photographer & graphic designer
2019–2023
Scientific Assistant, Photography Department
FH Aachen University of Applied Science, Germany
2017–2022
B.A. of Arts, communicationdesign
FH Aachen University of Applied Science, Germany
graduated with the Badge of Honor of FH Aachen
Freelancer as a photographer & graphic designer
2019–2023
Scientific Assistant, Photography Department
FH Aachen University of Applied Science, Germany
2017–2022
B.A. of Arts, communicationdesign
FH Aachen University of Applied Science, Germany
graduated with the Badge of Honor of FH Aachen
2014–2017
vocational diploma & training as a design technical assistant
Berufskolleg Bergkloster Bestwig, Germany
vocational diploma & training as a design technical assistant
Berufskolleg Bergkloster Bestwig, Germany
today
scholarship holder, Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (since 2021)
2023
Shortlist – Förderpreis für junge Buchgestaltung with "Modern Gender"
2022
scholarship holder Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft, NRW
Nominee German Design Award 2023 – Newcomer
publications and collaborations
DUMMY Mag
Kaltblut Mag
SPIEGEL Online
ZE.TT Online
Fisheye Mag
Galerie M Paris
GRAVUR Verlag
GE59 Berlin
Studio Hausen
&Wieder Köln
Female Photo Club
C/O Lauscher
Olympé Magazin
The Circle Works
BOA-Bunker of Art
DUMMY Mag
Kaltblut Mag
SPIEGEL Online
ZE.TT Online
Fisheye Mag
Galerie M Paris
GRAVUR Verlag
GE59 Berlin
Studio Hausen
&Wieder Köln
Female Photo Club
C/O Lauscher
Olympé Magazin
The Circle Works
BOA-Bunker of Art
exhibitions
2024
2024
06
"00:05:59" (group)
with "Once We Floated In Waters Deep"
Photography Exhibition with MA Program "Photography & Society"
in collabortation with Ambassade Van De Noordzee & Doggerland Foundation
Paradise, Den Haag, NL
"00:05:59" (group)
with "Once We Floated In Waters Deep"
Photography Exhibition with MA Program "Photography & Society"
in collabortation with Ambassade Van De Noordzee & Doggerland Foundation
Paradise, Den Haag, NL
03
"Fragments in Transit" (group)
with "Thank You For Showing Us Your Fish" in collaboration with Sarah-Rose Antoun
Pop-Up Photography Exhibition with MA Program "Photography & Society"
Beetroot Studio, Thessaloniki, GR
"Fragments in Transit" (group)
with "Thank You For Showing Us Your Fish" in collaboration with Sarah-Rose Antoun
Pop-Up Photography Exhibition with MA Program "Photography & Society"
Beetroot Studio, Thessaloniki, GR
2023
09
"Nouvelles Masculinités" (group)
Photo Exhibition with "Modern Gender – Masculinities"
Galerie M, Paris, FR
"Nouvelles Masculinités" (group)
Photo Exhibition with "Modern Gender – Masculinities"
Galerie M, Paris, FR
08–09
"Allianzen" – Aachen Fotofestival 2023 (group)
Photo Exhibition "Modern Gender – Masculinities"
Raststätte, Aachen, GER
"Allianzen" – Aachen Fotofestival 2023 (group)
Photo Exhibition "Modern Gender – Masculinities"
Raststätte, Aachen, GER
07–08
"Up And Coming" – Förderpreis für junge Buchgestaltung 2023 (group)
Photo Book Box "Modern Gender – Masculinities"
einBuch.haus, Berlin, GER
06
"Modern Gender – Masculinities" (solo)
Photo Exhibition and Book Tour with Gravur Verlag
&wieder, Cologne, GER
"Up And Coming" – Förderpreis für junge Buchgestaltung 2023 (group)
Photo Book Box "Modern Gender – Masculinities"
einBuch.haus, Berlin, GER
06
"Modern Gender – Masculinities" (solo)
Photo Exhibition and Book Tour with Gravur Verlag
&wieder, Cologne, GER
06
"Modern Gender – Masculinities" (solo)
Photo Exhibition and Book Tour with Gravur Verlag
Studio Hausen, Hamburg, GER
"Modern Gender – Masculinities" (solo)
Photo Exhibition and Book Tour with Gravur Verlag
Studio Hausen, Hamburg, GER
06
"Modern Gender – Masculinities" (solo)
Photo Exhibition and Book Tour with Gravur Verlag
GE59, Berlin, GER
"Modern Gender – Masculinities" (solo)
Photo Exhibition and Book Tour with Gravur Verlag
GE59, Berlin, GER
05
"Modern Gender – Masculinities" (solo)
Photo Exhibition
Galerie M, Paris, FR
"Modern Gender – Masculinities" (solo)
Photo Exhibition
Galerie M, Paris, FR
2022
12
"Fun in the Sun" (group)
Photo Exhibition
"Vincent"
Schnörres, Cologne, GER
2021
09
Aachener Kunstroute (group)
Art Exhibition
"Utopia – a world between the sexes"
BOA – Bunker of Art, Aachen, GER
09
"Poebel" (group)
Art Exhibition
BOA – Bunker of Art, Aachen, GER
2020
09
Aachener Kunstroute (group)
Art Exhibition
BOA – Bunker of Art, Aachen, GER
07
"Urbane Nachwelt" (solo)
Photo Exhibition
Glashalle Aachen, GER
06
Positur#1 (group)
Photo Exhibition
"Mirror"
Stadtteilzentrum Nordstadt, Hannover, GER
Positur#1 (group)
Photo Exhibition
"Mirror"
Stadtteilzentrum Nordstadt, Hannover, GER
2019
05
"Streaming Pictures" (group)
Photo Exhibition
"Paired"
MAKK, Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Köln, GER