Paul Cupido’s affinity for the natural world was born out of a childhood spent on the Dutch island of Terschelling, where the ebb and flow of tides and the cycles of the moon reflect the fleetingness of life. Cupido’s work is furthermore inspired by Japanese photography as well as his travels there. Japanese philosophical principles, and especially that of Mu, permeate his creative practice. Mu could be loosely translated as does not have or a void, albeit one that holds potential. His economy of form and lyrical compositions, encompassing landscape, portraiture and still life, invite to look beyond the visible while he is rigorous in his attention to the quality of printing and his choice of paper stock. He photographs widely while traveling and reflects on the results later, which after a period of contemplation means a renewed journey of discovery, in which the intuitive editing of seemingly unrelated images leads to serendipitous combinations.
Paul Cupido (Netherland, 1972) graduated with honors from the Fotoacademie Amsterdam in 2017. Since then, he has published various artist books, including Searching for Mu (2017), Continuum (2019), and 4 a.m. (2021) – each one in collaboration with graphic designer Akiko Wakabayashi. Cupido’s work has been exhibited widely, including Paris Photo, Photo London, Unseen Amsterdam and the Nordic Light Festival. In 2022, Cupido was invited to be the inaugural artist-in-residence for INSTANTS, the residency program by Château Palmer and Leica. In 2023, he was artist-in-residence at InCadaqués Photo Festival in Catalonia.
2024
Paris Photo 2024, Paris (FR)
Duo: Les Nuits Étoilées, Polka Gallery, Paris (FR)
Or Norme, Guerlain, Paris (FR)
InCadaqués Photo Festival 2024, Cadaqués (ES)
Résonances (Les Rencontres d’Arles), Fisheye Gallery, Arles (FR)
Can Albertí, Mahón, Menorca (ES)
The Photography Show, AIPAD, NYC (US)
2023
Paris Photo 2023, Paris (FR)
InCadaqués Photo Festival 2024, Cadaqués (ES)
Solo: Unseen Amsterdam, Amsterdam (NL)
Dawn Chorus, The Photographers’ Gallery, London (UK)
Singer Museum, Laren (NL)
Coming to Light, Bildhalle, Zurich (CH)
Solo: Séléné (*), Leica Gallery Paris, Paris (FR)
Photo London 2023, Bildhalle (UK)
Perfectly Imperfect, Ibasho Gallery, Antwerp (BE)
(*) Instants, Château Palmer and Leica residency
2022
Paris Photo 2022, Paris (FR)
Solo: Remembering You, Bildhalle, Amsterdam (NL)
Saint Laurent, Los Angeles (US)
Saint Laurent Rive Droite, Paris (FR)
The Best Book Design 2021, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (NL)
Singer Museum, Laren (NL)
Duo: Traces, Museum Hilversum (NL)
Wabi-sabi, Japanmuseum SieboldHuis, Leiden (NL)
Incadaqués Photo Festival 2022, (ES)
Unseen Amsterdam, Amsterdam (NL)
Group: Ocean, Bildhalle, Amsterdam (NL)
Photo Basel, Basel (CH)
AIPAD 2022, NYC (US)
Photo London, London (UK)
Flora Photographica. Flowers Gallery, London (UK)
Bergamot Station, Danziger Gallery, Santa Monica, LA (US)
Extra Ordinary, The Photographers Gallery, London (UK)
Photobooks: Art Page by Page, GRASSI Museum, Leipzig (DE)
2021
Paris Photo 2021, Paris (FR)
The Photo Book as Object, Ibasho, Antwerp (BE)
Singer Museum, Laren (NL)
Solo: 4 a.m., The Photographers Gallery, London (UK)
Photo Basel, Basel (CH)
Photo London, London (UK)
Unseen Amsterdam, Amsterdam (NL)
Group: Mizu, Ibasho Gallery, Antwerp (BE)
Rencontres d’Arles, Ibasho Gallery pop-up (FR)
Art Rotterdam 2021, Bildhalle (NL)
2020
Paris Photo 2020, Paris (FR)
Solo: Mukayu, Bildhalle, Amsterdam (NL)
Nordic Light Festival, Kristiansund (NO)
Photo London, Bildhalle (UK)
Solo: Mukayu, Ibasho Gallery, Antwerp (BE)
Group: No Man is an Island, Museum IJsselstein (NL)
FFO 2020, Oslo (NO)
Singer Museum, Laren (NL)
Paper Positions, Berlin (DE)
2019
Paris Photo 2019, Paris (FR)
Unseen Amsterdam, Amsterdam (NL)
Solo: Moments of Wonder, Kahmann Gallery, Amsterdam (NL)
Solo: Ephémère, Bildhalle, Zurich (CH)
Group: Seaside, Bildhalle, Zurich (CH)
Photo Basel, Basel (CH)
Photo London, London (UK)
2018
Encontros da Imagem (Discovery Awards 2018), Braga (PT)
Festival Internacional de Fotografia Paraty em Foco (BR)
Athens Photo Festival, Benaki Museum, Athens (GR)
This Art, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam (NL)
Fotografiska Stockholm, Stockholm (SE)
Haute Photographie, Rotterdam (NL)
2017
REVEAL, Graduation Exhibition Fotoacademie, Amsterdam (NL)
New Dutch Photo Talent 2018 (GUP), Amsterdam (NL)
Photography and the Artist Book: First Edition, Atlanta (US)
Robert Capa Center, Budapest (HU)
Back to Paradise, DeelenArt, Rotterdam (NL)
Belfast Photo Festival (Artist Residence Winner). Belfast (UK)
2016
Tokyo Institute of Photography, Tokyo (JP)
Het Oog, Amsterdam (NL)
2024
Ursa Major
Self-published, edition of 500
2023
Séléné
Filigranes Editions, edition of 800
(*) Created during the Leica & Château Palmer INSTANTS Residency
2022
Remembering You
Self-published, edition of 300
2021
4 a.m.
Self-published, edition of 500
2020
Mukayu
the(M) éditions & Ibasho Gallery, edition of 500
2019
Amazônia
Alauda Publications, edition of 750 copies
(*) Created during the LabVerde Residency, Amazônia (BR)
2019
Continuum
Self-published, edition of 300
2019
Ephémère
Edition Bildhalle, edition of 800
2017
Searching for Mu
Self-published, edition of 200
