Aline Papenheim
*1997, Germany (they/them)
Between South Holland & Western Germany
Independent artist and storyteller working in photography, writing, film and visual design 


Statement
July 2025
Imagine a world where we rethink ourselves, our relationships, and our place within the fragile ecosystem we all share.
This vision fuels my artistic practice, which seeks out cracks in dominant Western narratives—anthropocentric frameworks rooted in patriarchal, capitalist, and colonial ideologies. Through a multidisciplinary approach—spanning photography, writing, installation, books, and zines—I explore gender, identity, and our relationships to place and ecology. My work is inspired by post-queer theory, queer ecology, and sociological thought to imagine alternative ways of seeing and being.
I grew up as a fluid, diverse being in a rural Christian village in Germany, far removed from conversations around gender or queerness. To belong, I learned to adapt and suppress parts of myself. Photography became a space of unlearning and reimagining—an entry point into worlds I sensed but could not yet name. These early experiences continue to inform my desire to connect with and bridge seemingly opposing audiences.
My work creates shared, embodied experiences that encourage reflection and interconnection. I craft emotionally resonant narratives that move beyond language into multisensory outcomes, often in collaboration with sound artists and type designers.
As a neurodivergent and queer artist, I feel a deep kinship with nature’s biodiversity while actively resisting the systems that have confined me. This tension drives my search for softer, more intuitive visual languages—forms of expression that hold space for emotional and relational complexity.
Through my work, I aim to nurture deeper human connection and offer glimpses into speculative, imagined futures—possibilities that open new ways of seeing, feeling, and being beyond the known.
Education & Work Experience

today (since 2019)
Independent photographer, artist and storyteller 

2023–2025
Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design
Photography & Society
Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague, Netherlands
2019–2023
Scientific Assistant, Photography Department
FH Aachen University of Applied Science, Germany

2017–2022
Bachelor of Arts in 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


Exhibitions
2025
03
push pull shift (g)
Živi Atelje DK, Zagreb, HR
in collabortation with MA Photography & Society: Alberto Vidal Bernedo, Andrea Stultiens, Anastasia Miseyko, Azin Nafar Haghighi, Eva Chapkin, Fabio Meinardi, Fenna Jensma, Gundega Strauberga, Hana Selena Sokolović, Joanna Demarco, Julie de Ruijter, Khalil Döring, Matteo Montaldo, Mirko Pirisi, Nadia Sheikh, Nikos Kapetanios, Odysseas Tsompanoglou, Raisa Durandi, Sara Ito and Sarah-Rose Antoun.
2024
06
00:05:59 (g)
Paradise, Den Haag, NL
in collabortation with Ambassade Van De Noordzee & Doggerland Foundation and MA Photography & Society: Ana Alves Francisco, Anastasia Miseyko, Andong Zheng, Azin Nafar Haghighi, Fabio Meinardi, Gundega Strauberga, Hana Selena Sokolović, Jeroen Zwaap, Marna Slappendel, Niside Panebianco, and Sarah-Rose Antoun.


03
Fragments in Transit (g)
Beetroot Studio, Thessaloniki, GR
in collabortation with MA Photography & Society: Ana Alves Francisco, Anastasia Miseyko, Andong Zheng, Azin Nafar Haghighi, Fabio Meinardi, Gundega Strauberga, Hana Selena Sokolović, Jeroen Zwaap, Marna Slappendel, Niside Panebianco, and Sarah-Rose Antoun.


2023
09
Nouvelles Masculinités (g)
Galerie M, Paris, FR
with Ava Bob, Auréline Roy, Alexandre Dinaut, Ame Blary, Anaïs Alaoui, Karine Coutet, Philippe Mirabeau and Sasha Mongin

08–09
Allianzen – Aachen Fotofestival 2023 (g)
Raststätte, Aachen, GER
with Iris Hilgers, curated by Nina Mika-Helfmeier

07–08
Up And Coming – Förderpreis für junge Buchgestaltung 2023 (g)
in collabortation with Gravur Verlag
einBuch.haus, Berlin, GER
with Schima Köchermann, Clara Happ, Franziska Junge, Marcel Raabe, Daniel Zakharov, Anna Herms, Matthias Hübner, Sarah Hübscher, and Christopher Kreutchen.

06
Modern Gender Exhibition and Book Tour (s)
in collabortation with Gravur Verlag
&wieder, Cologne, GER

06
Modern Gender Exhibition and Book Tour (s)
in collabortation with Gravur Verlag
Studio Hausen, Hamburg, GER

06
Modern Gender Exhibition and Book Tour (s)
in collabortation with Gravur Verlag
GE59, Berlin, GER

05
Modern Gender (s)
Galerie M, Paris, FR



2022

12
Fun in the Sun (g)
Schnörres, Cologne, GER
with Jakub Koncir, Kalouna Toulakoun, Mo Schmittem, Leo Drenker, Lisa Pröbsting, Chiara Baluch, Alexander Seichter, Henk Aaron Szanto, Leonie Braun, Niels Freidel, Ute Behrend, Pusher Tony, Thekla Ehling, Pol et Simon, Serena Dallabetta, Philipp Treudt, Wolfgang Zurborn, Saskia Kinast and Antonia Gruber



2021

09
Aachener Kunstroute (g)
BOA – Bunker of Art, Aachen, GER

09
Poebel (g)
BOA – Bunker of Art, Aachen, GER



2020

09
Aachener Kunstroute (g)
BOA – Bunker of Art, Aachen, GER

07
Urbane Nachwelt (s)
Glashalle Aachen, GER

06
Positur#1 (g)
Stadtteilzentrum Nordstadt, Hannover, GER
with Charmaine de Heij, Sebastian Neubauer, Helge H. Paulsen and Jean D. Sikiaridis
curated by Helge H. Paulsen


2019

05
Streaming Pictures (g)
MAKK, Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Köln, GER











Contests
2025
Bellcollective x Fotomeyer: Inner Visions

Scholarships

2021–today
Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
2022
 Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft, NRW


Awards
2023
Shortlisted by Förderpreis für junge Buchgestaltung
2022
Nominee German Design Award 2023 – Newcomer


Invitations
2025
04
Symposium: The Activated Image
Fotomuseum Den Haag
Invited as a visual respondend for Daria Tuminas
organized by the Networked Audience research group

along with: Andrea Stultiens, Azin Nafarhaghighi, Daria Tuminas, Donald Weber, Julie de Ruijter,
Matteo Montaldo, Nurul Huda Rashid, Patricia Kühfuss, Randa Mirza, Sarah-Rose Antoun, Will Boase.
04
Workshop: Collective Feedback for Visual Work in Progress
FH Aachen, BA Communicationdesign
Photography Department with Lorenz Gaiser
↑Back to Top