About Nina Kirste

Nina Kirste (*1990) is an architect and photographer. Her work begins with a close observation of places: their spatial qualities, their history, and the way in which they are experienced and remembered. At the intersection of architecture, photography and design, she translates physical experience into an emotional and visual layer, seeking to make visible what we may feel but cannot yet name.

Her practice encompasses both commissioned and self-initiated projects, which are published internationally and developed in collaboration with institutions, galleries and architectural practices. Her clients and collaborators include Vitra Design Museum, Barragan Foundation, Galerie Stefan Vogdt, Librairie 7L, Yvon Lambert, Oliv Architekten, Hrycyk Architekten, Schüco, and the German Pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale.

In 2024, Kirste was commissioned to photograph the work of Luis Barragán in Mexico by Gallery owner Stefan Vogdt. The project evolved into The Gospel of Serenity (Nina Kirste, 2024), a luminous study of silence, color, and transcendence. Her photographs have since been exhibited in Germany, France, and Spain.

Building on this ongoing engagement with Barragán’s work, Kirste is currently developing, in collaboration with the Barragan Foundation, the Vitra Design Museum, Zeller & Moye and Josef Grillmeier, an exhibition and publication on Casa Majahua, Barragán’s little-known holiday home on the Mexican Pacific coast.
The site, which is largely undocumented and increasingly exposed to decay, raises questions about strategies for its use and restoration, with a view to breathing new life into the ruins.

In 2025, Kirste collaborated with Designbuero Josef Grillmeier on the visual concept and publication for Stresstest, the German contribution to the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia.

Alongside her practice, Nina Kirste is a member of the Bavarian Chamber of Architects and a board member of Deutscher Werkbund Bayern.