Kai Löffelbein is a documentary photographer whose work interrogates the intersections of political power, economic structures, and historical memory. With a background in political science from Berlin and studies in photography at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hannover (BA), he merges analytical depth with visual storytelling to expose the hidden forces shaping contemporary society.
His projects trace the material and ideological residues of global capitalism and postcolonial histories. In Ctrl-X. A Topography of E-Waste (Steidl, 2018), he maps the afterlives of discarded technology, revealing networks of labor, consumption, and environmental degradation that bind the Global North and South. Common Dreams (Kehrer Verlag, 2023) examines China’s rapid transformation, situating economic expansion within a continuum of historical ruptures and reinventions.
With ECHO ECHO (2023), Löffelbein turns his gaze to Germany’s colonial past, unearthing its silent imprints in contemporary landscapes, museum collections, and collective memory. His work does not merely document but questions how historical narratives are constructed, obscured, and contested in the present.
Through a synthesis of research and visual inquiry, Löffelbein challenges the ways in which history materializes in space, labor, and identity. His photography invites viewers to engage critically with the ghosts of the past that continue to shape our world.
DENNIS WAGNER 2019
7:08
2024
Alexander Tutsek Stiftung Grant
2023
VG Bild-Kunst Grant
2022
Hannover Stipendium - Hannover Shots
Shortlist: Georg Koppmann Prize
Shortlist: Otto Steinert Prize
2021
Stipendium Niedersachsen
Ministerium Wissenschaft und Kultur
Stipendium Bund bildender
Künstler (BBK)
Encontros da Imagem (Honorable
Mention for Common Dreams)
Nomination: Felix Schoeller Award
2020
Finalist: Hellerau Portrait Award
2019
NordLB exhibition Support
Finalist: Kaunas Photo
2016
Grenzgänger Stipendium (Robert
Bosch Stiftung & LCB)
VG Bild-Kunst Grant
The Documentary Project Fund Grant
2015
Px3 Prix de la Photographie -
Honorable Mention
Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for
Documentary Photography Finalist
2014
Magnum Foundation Fund Grantee
2013
Foto Visura Grant Finalist
PhotoPhilanthropy Activist
Award Winner
Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award
2012
Henri Nannen Preis
2011
UNICEF Photo of the Year Award