About

Born in 1986, Michelle Aimée grew up in a small town at the foot of the mountains in the southeast of Switzerland. After she graduated from business school and the preparatory art course, she attended the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) from 2008 to 2012 for her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art Photography. During her exchange year at RMIT, Michelle Aimée was appointed the winner of «Picture This Photography Prize 2011» Brunswick Street Gallery in Melbourne, Australia, for her portrait series «King». 

After her graduation in 2012, she started working as a scientific photographer at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Zurich. Through her daily assignments supporting veterinary research, communications, and educational practices, her interest in solving questions through photography found a place to flourish. The projects at the faculty often provoked more questions. Over time the unanswered questions regarding the use of photography in science accumulated. This motivated her to enter the master’s program of visual communication and iconic research at the fhnw, Basel, in 2017, where she learned to conduct her own research, helping her find those answers. In 2020 she graduated summa cum laude with her master’s thesis: «Exploring the Image Esthetic* in Scientific Photographs of Anatomical Specimens», where she collected the plentiful factors influencing a photograph’s visual appearance (or as she there defined as «esthetic»). 

Parallel to her position at the University of Zurich, Michelle Aimée has taught photography and photography-related subjects at various institutions and continues to offer courses and lectures on topics related to photography in scientific and medical praxis. 
In 2021, she was awarded the DGPh-Wissenschaftspreis for her approach on photography of anatomical specimens. 
 
Michelle Aimée currently lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland and is an appointed member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie (DGPh) and an affiliate member of the Institute of Medical Illustrators UK (IMI).

1993 – 2002
Primary school, Vilters–Wangs SG, CH

2002 – 2006
Business school, Sargans, CH

2007 – 2008
art preparatory, ZHdK University of Arts, Zurich, CH

2008 – 2012
Bachelor in Fine Art – Photography, ZHdK University of Arts, Zurich, CH

2010 – 2011
Exchange year, BA Photography, RMIT Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, AUS

2011 – 2013
Egyptian arabic A2 (2×2 months) , ILI International Language Institute, Cairo EGY

2017 – 2020
Master in visual communication and iconic research, HGK fhnw, Basel, CH

2011 – 2013
photography teacher, creative vocational baccalaureate BM2, BzB, Buchs SG, CH

2012 – now
scientific photographer, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH

2013 – 2017
teacher for photography and image editing for the web, Webprofessionals, Grabs, CH

2016 – 2018
teacher for macro photography, photo school Bauer, Bülach, CH

2014 – now
clinical photography teacher, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH

2018
«Wenn Fotografie mehr können muss als gefallen“, Kunsthalle Zürich, CH

2021
“Forschung naturgetreu fotografieren», Scientifica ETH Zurich, CH

2021
«The potential of photographers in the sciences», PHOTOPIA, Hamburg, DE

2009
«What we don’t see» – group exhibition, BCAM09, brest clinics Zurich, Basel, Bern, CH

2010
«King.» – Solo Show, Owl and Pussicat, Melbourne AUS

2013
«Collection – Scale 1:4.5» – solo show, Museümli, Buchs SG, CH

2016
«Axis» – Photo16, group exhibition, Maaghalle Zurich, CH

2016
«Paws» – permanent exhibition/commission for the waiting area of ​​the small animal clinic of the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich, Zurich, CH

2017
«Paws» – Photo17, group exhibition, Maaghallen Zurich, CH

2020
Masterthesis exhibition, Freilager, Basel CH

2022
“Hintergrund”, Photo22, group exhibition, Halle 550 Oerlikon, CH

2009
«What we don’t see», nominee, BCAM09, Zurich

2011
«King.» 1st prize, Picture this 2011, Brunswick Street Gallery, Melbourne AUS

2011
«What we don’t see», Nominee, Head on Portrait Prize, Sydey AUS

2019
Appointed member of the German Society for Photography (DGPh), D

2021
Lauret Science Prize 2021 of the German Society for Photography (DGPh), D

2020
Jury member for the IREM photo competition at the University of Zurich, Zurich, CH

2021
Juror for the “Fotomarathon» at the Global Science Film Festival, Zurich, CH