Fiona Cuypers-Stanienda (b. 1992) is a Swiss, German, and American Social Documentary Photographer. She studied architecture at ETH Zurich, the University of the Arts Berlin, and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, where she earned her M.Arch and AA Diploma. Her extensive educational and professional background profoundly influences her work, focusing on the personal and intimate interactions within architectural spaces. Fiona's work is marked by its authenticity and narrative depth, capturing images and emotional stories that connect people to their environments. She exclusively practices analog photography, capturing her images solely on film.
Fiona's work has been featured in renowned publications and exhibitions, including the Architect's Journal, Wallpaper*, REAL, AA Bookshop, and the British School at Rome. She has collaborated with notable architects and firms worldwide, such as Johnston Marklee in Los Angeles, Valter Scelsi in Genoa, Studio JK in Hamburg, and Kéré Architecture in Berlin—a Pritzker Prize-winning firm.
In addition to her photography, Fiona co-founded the Terrace Collective, a group of Architectural Association alumni dedicated to bridging the gap between architecture and art through interdisciplinary exhibitions and events. Since 2022, she has also run an architectural research agency called RRA, Radical Research & Re-storying Agency. This agency, informed by the question, 'How can the pre-colonial past inform a decolonial future?' represents Fiona's unwavering commitment to exploring and redefining stories through architecture.
Fiona is available for commissions worldwide.
mail@fionacuypersstanienda.com
AA Dipl. M.Arch., Architectural Association School of Architecture, London UK
Architecture, Berlin University of the Arts, Berlin DE
Architecture, ETH Zurich, Zurich CH
Selected Exhibitions
2020 Reporting from Rome, AA Bookshop, London UK
2019 Portico, British School at Rome, Rome IT
2016 Lugo Land, Lugo IT
Grants / Awards
2024 Business Grant, German Government
2019 Nicholas Boas Travel Scholarship, British School at Rome
2017 AAF Travel Award, Architectural Association
As New Architecture Writers calls for 2022 applications, we celebrate alumnu Afterparti, Wallpaper
Influences: Aoi Phillips and Fiona Cuypers-Stanienda’s ‘Permesso’, Architect´s Journal
Who holds the power to shape our cities?, Wallpaper
Summer and art at the BSR, The British School at Rome
A Home Truth on Contemplation and Resistance, REAL, ISBN 9781916406827
2018: The Year According to: Jack Self, Walker Art Center
Teaching
Guest Critic, Communication and Media Studies, Architectural Association
IMPRESSUM
© Fiona Cuypers-Stanienda 2024