Instagram @paul.cupido
Paul Cupido
NETHERLANDS
Paul Cupido graduated with honors from the Fotoacademie Amsterdam in 2017. Since then, he has published several artist books, including “Searching for Mu” (2017), “Continuum” (2019), and “4 a.m.” (2021) – each in collaboration with graphic designer Akiko Wakabayashi. Cupido's work has been widely exhibited, including at Paris Photo, Unseen Amsterdam, and the Nordic Light Festival. In 2017, he won the Hariban Jury Prize. Cupido is represented by Bildhalle Gallery (Zurich and Amsterdam), Polka Galerie (Paris), Ibasho Gallery (Antwerp), and The Photographers' Gallery (London).
Paul Cupido's photographic work revolves around the principle of “Mu”, a philosophical concept that might be translated as "does not have," but is open to countless interpretations. “Mu” can be seen as an emptiness, though it carries potential. Cupido's ongoing photographic and cinematic experience, “Searching for Mu”, is a personal and universal odyssey of our fleeting existence in relation to the profound emotional experiences of love, time, and death. Cupido's photographs hint at the transcendent reflections of the soul and the blending of microscopic and macroscopic realms.
Artistic residency program of the InCadaqués Festival,
with the support of the Ministry of Culture.
• SERIES •
Ode to the Elements
During the art residency at the InCadaqués Festival in 2023-2024, alongside Anna Muller, Paul Cupido focused on the spiritual encounter between the sacred masculine and the divine feminine (as seen in the series Swoon, exhibited at the Unseen photo festival in Amsterdam in 2023). Inspired by the singular charm and suave of Cadaqués, the island-like place that has captured Cupido’s heart, this endeavor evolved into an intimate ode to the elements.
This new body of work carries traces of Eduardo Chillida and the surrealist presence of Salvador and Gala Dalí, presenting a sensory exploration of the natural world. Rocks, moon, ocean, earth—each image reflects the timeless forces that shape this place. The pebbles (ricochets) skipping across the water symbolize the interplay between man and nature, as well as the tension between belonging and emotion. Cupido’s work is imbued with a ‘sense of place,’ resulting in an experimental, transitional exhibition. Beyond the visual, it also invites contemplation and satori—a sudden awareness of the essence of nature.
InCadaqués festival would like to express the deepest gratitude to this wonderful artist and human being.