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 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.