Regina Hügli is a multidisciplinary artist and professional photographer who advocates for water and waterways through her projects and the One Body of Water association.

She studied photography at the Zurich University of the Arts (1997–2022) and also delved into comparative religious studies and art history at the Universities of Bern and Zurich. She has lived in Vienna since 2008. Her works have been widely published and exhibited; in 2023, she won the Austrian State Prize for Water in Art.

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY

With a deep interest in people, their lived experiences, and their perspectives, Regina Hügli’s primary areas of expertise are portraiture and visual storytelling. Trained in the darkroom techniques of black-and-white and color photography, she also explores experimental forms of analog image-making and enjoys working with long exposures and light painting.

She works on commission for various magazines, institutions, and companies in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Her work has been awarded by both the Swiss and Austrian Associations of Professional Photographers.

ARTISTIC WORK

Her artistic projects are inspired by the element of water and explore transition and transformation in human life, organisms, and landscapes. Her artistic research is based on site visits, observations, and dialogue with scientists and experts from a wide range of fields.

Working with a variety of media, she creates context- and site-specific works—moving fluidly between photography, video, object art, installation, and performance. In recent years, she has also been working extensively with communities and developing performative formats that facilitate participation and interaction.

WATER

Water has been a central theme in her work since 2013. On the topic of water, she has carried out interdisciplinary projects, organized exhibitions, workshops, and public events, and published two books. She is increasingly taking an activist approach and questioning anthropocentric attitudes toward nature. To support her work, Regina Hügli founded ONE BODY OF WATER in 2022, an initiative situated at the intersection of art, science, and the public sphere.