Christian Vium (born 1980 in Denmark) is a visual artist and Associate Professor in Anthropology at the Department of Anthropology, Aarhus University, where he directs the Msc-track in Multimodal Anthropology. Primarily working on long-term projects anchored in participatory methods and in-depth collaboration, his work is situated at the intersection between art, documentary, and the social sciences. In addition to film and photography, he works increasingly with large-scale immersive installations integrating photography, films, sound, and archive material.

He is currently Principal Investigator of the project ‘Tales of the Nomadic City’ on a Wenner-Gren Fejos Grant. He is finishing the tripartite visual monograph ‘Revisited’ (Spector Books, 2024) based on his long-term project ‘Temporal Dialogues’, which was nominated for the Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters’ Silver Medal for Excellent Research. He recently received a Carlsberg Monograph Fellowship to publish his award-winning, 15-year project ‘Departed’ on irregular migration from West Africa into Europe. During the fall 2023 he is a Research Fellow at the Film Studies Center at Harvard University. From Spring 2024 he will lead the research project 'Nordatlantiske Hverdagsfortællinger (2024-2027) funded by the Velux Foundation. 

Christian is on research leave until April 2024

See www.christianvium.com for full CV and example of works.

Work & Education

2021 Director of the Laboratory for Multimodal Anthropology, Aarhus University (DK)

2018 Associate Professor in Anthropology, Aarhus University (DK)

2014-2018 Post.Doc in Anthropology, Aarhus University (DK)

2009-2013 PhD Fellow in Anthropology, University of Copenhagen (DK)

2009 MA in Anthropology, University of Copenhagen (DK)

2007 EMA in Human Rights, EUIC Venice & Université Montpellier (IT/FR)

Selected Awards & Grants

2023 Velux Foundations Museum Research Grant (DK)

2021 Carlsberg Monograph Fellowship (DK)

2021 Wenner-Gren Fejos Grant (US)

2020 Finalist, Dorothea Lange & Paul Taylor Prize (US)

2018 Communication Prize, Danish Ethnographic Ass. (DK)

2017 Shortlisted, Grand Prix Images Vevey 2017 (CH)

2016 Prix HSBC pour la Photographie 2016, Paris (FR)

2016 Nominated for The Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters Silver medal (DK)

2015 Selected for FOAM Talent 2015, Amsterdam (NL)

2015 Grand Prix recipient, Tokyo International Photography Competition 2015, Tokyo (JP)

2015 Winner, Lensculture Emerging Talents 2015 (US)

2015 Critical Mass 2015 (US)

2013 Jurors Choice, Project Launch Competition,

Center Santa Fe (US)

2011 Winner of the 2011 Anthropographia Award for Human Rights (US)

Selected Exhibitions

2024 ‘Ephemeral Archipelago’, CMCArts, Frederiksted, St. Croix (USVI)

2023 ‘Departed', Monastero di San Nicoló, Venice (IT)

2023 ‘Ikerasak’, Moesgaard Museum, Aarhus (DK)

2021 ‘Ikerasak’, Fotografisk Center, Copenhagen (DK)

2018 ‘Dialogues’, Moesgaard Museum, Aarhus (DK)

2017 ‘The Wake’, Benaki Museum, Athens (GR)

2017 ‘Revelations’, CPH Photo Festival, Copenhagen (DK)

2016 ‘Ville Nomade’, L’Arsenal, Metz (FR)

2016 ‘Ville Nomade’, Gowen Contemporary, Geneva (CH)

2016 ‘Ville Nomade’, Gallerie Esther Woerdehoff, Paris (FR)

2016 ‘The Wake’, London Photo 2016, London (UK)

2015 ‘The Wake’, Tokyo International Photography Festival (JP)

2015 ‘The Wake’, Foam Talents 2015, ParisPhoto, Paris (FR)

2015 ‘The Wake’, United Photo Industries, New York (US)

2013 ‘Clandestine’, Øksnehallen, Copenhagen (DK)

2012 ‘Clandestine’, Norderlicht Photogallery, Norderlicht (NL)

2011 ‘Clandestine’, New York Photo Festival, New York (US)

Selected Films

2024 Tales of a Nomadic City (forthcoming).

2024 Songs of the Desert (forthcoming).

2021 Ikerasak.

2017 Revelations.

2015 The Fringe.

2010 Manenberg.

Monographs

2024 ‘Revisited I-III’ (forthcoming, SPECTOR) (DE).

2023-24 ‘Reframing History I-III (forthcoming, SPECTOR) (DE).

2018 ‘Dialogues’ (AU / MOMU) (DK).

2016 ‘Ville Nomade’ / ‘The Nomadic City’ (Actes Sud) (FR).