Luigi Fieni has photographed landscapes, culture and the cultural heritage of the Himalayas for nearly two decades while working as a conservator of Tibetan art.
Born in Italy, Luigi Fieni studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” until he switched his focus to conservation of mural paintings. He started his career as an art conservator in 1999, assisting in a prestigious project in the Himalayan region. As lead conservator he has worked mainly in Nepal, Bhutan, China and Thailand, restoring ancient Buddhist art and training local people to preserve their own cultural heritage. His work as a conservator of Tibetan art has been featured in many major newspapers and magazines worldwide including The New York Times, The Guardian, International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, National Geographic and Geo.
He's a self-thaught photographer, studying by candle light during his spare time while working on the Himalaya as a conservator. Fieni never had a proper mentor but the books of his favorite photographers - Toscani’s subversity, Koudelka’s intensity, Salgado’s emotions, Fontana’s abstractionism and Michael Kenna’s magic.
His photography has been exhibited in America, Europe and Asia. His work is part of private collections worldwide including: The Manggha Museum (Krakow, Poland), The Taragaon Museum (Kathmandu, Nepal) and The Contemporary Art Collection of The Vatican Museums (Vatican City). Fieni has collaborated with the National Geographic Society, the North Face, the Financial Times, Meridiani, Mill Valley Film Group, Skydoor Productions, American Himalayan Foundation, Kham Aid Foundation, Orticolario, HPRC, Bauer Media and ECS Nepal.
Currently he is represented by Photokunst (Friday Harbor, USA) and PhotoEye Gallery – Photographer’s Showcase (Santa Fe, USA). He works as a freelance photographer, as a conservator and devotes his time to the preservation of Tibetan culture.
