Nils Koenning Photography

Background

Nils Koenning is a Berlin based photographer with a strong focus on documenting architecture and the built environment.

Concerned with questions of place, identity and belonging, his work explores formal aspects of architecture and everyday environments alike. Following a contextual narrative, Nils uses still and moving images to capture not only form, but atmosphere, emotion and sense of place by documenting the interplay of space, context and people.

Nils’ visual documentations are frequently published and exhibited and form a regular part of the contemporary dialog in architecture.

Work

2017- ongoing - mountains

2016 - Souvenir, body of work dealing with loss, memory and belonging.

2015 - MRKTSQ, commissioned artwork of a decommissioned structure.

2014 - Common Realities, combination of works investigating realities in the perception and communication of architecture and the built environment.

2013 – Familiar Disappearance, ongoing body of work investigating the loss of personal connection to place and change/loss of memory, Germany.

2012 – El mas feliz, portraits of Salvadorian people, El Salvador, Central America.

2012 – Black Sands, a personal view on the much-undervalued country of El Salvador, Central America.

2011 – Slow mornings, a homage to a temporary place of shelter, Melbourne, Australia.

2009 - Austraphobia, ongoing body of work examining Australian values through questions of place and identities, Australia.

2008/09 – Monsters, a project dealing with the drastic recline of native Australian bushland, Queensland, Australia.

2007/08 – Schlussverkauf, photographic essay investigating the effects of a centralised mega-shopping mall on small-scale urban retail fabric, Essen, Germany.

2007/08 – Urban Nomads no.1.08, editorial work in image and text, Bochum, Germany.

Awards and nominations

2014 - Australia Council for the Arts - Market Development Grant, Melbourne, Australia

2013 - Sydney Myer Creative Fellowship - nominee, nominated by Prof. Philip James Goad, The University of Melbourne

2008 - Development grant, University of Applied Sciences, Bochum, Germany

2007 - Development grant, University of Applied Sciences, Bochum, Germany

Solo-exhibition

2025 – Randgefuehle, Schaufenster Barkow-Leibinger, Berlin

2015 - MRKTSQ at TAUT Space, Melbourne, Australia

Group-exhibition

2021 – Haus der Statistik, part of Instances of Urban Practice by Raumlaborberlin, Arsenale, Venice Biennale di Architettura 2021

2019 – Haus der Statistik, part of the Tallinn Architecture Biennale

2014 - Common Realities as part of the exhibition Time Space Exsistence at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy

2010 – Monsters as a part of GreenVoice, Maison des association, in accordance with ICV, Geneva, Switzerland.

2007/2008 - Urban Nomads, University of Applied Sciences, Bochum, Germany.

Permanent collection

2015 - Common Realities, part of private collection of the Lyon-Housemuseum, Melbourne, Australia

Publication

2012 - ongoing - publication of numerous architecture/documentation projects in various online and print media - Archdaily, Dezeen, Baunetz, Architecture Australia, Artichoke, C3, DETAIL, Bauwelt, Architektur Aktuell, etc.

2016/2017 - Souvenir, self-published book with images from a body of work dealing with loss, memory and belonging.

2014 – Untitled, BaunetzWoche#377, Baunetz, Germany. Selected images of ongoing body of work Austraphobia.

2013 – Untitled, Freerange vol.6, Freerange Press, NZ. Selected images of ongoing body of work Austraphobia.

2008/2009 - Urban Nomads no1.08, magazine for urban culture.

Education

2007 – 2008 Master in Architektur (highest honours) an der Hochschule in Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland, focusing on the contribution of photography as a form visual communication to the exploration and understanding of socio-cultural circumstances to a broad audience.

2001 – 2007 Diploma (high distinction) in Architektur an der Hochschule in Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland.

1986 – 1999 Rudolf-Steiner Schule Bochum Langendreer.