Between stillness and motion, a trace remains – a way of seeing.
Ballet, Dance & Concert Photographer and Filmmaker in Hamburg
I’m drawn to creating visuals that look beyond the everyday.
Kiran West is a Hamburg-based photographer and filmmaker specializing in ballet, dance, concert and performing arts photography and film. With a background as a professional ballet dancer, his work combines an instinctive understanding of movement, timing and performance with a distinctive visual approach, working in Hamburg, across Germany and internationally.
Exhibited & Published
2012
State Museum of Theatre and Music
St. Petersburg, Russia (group exhibition)
2016-2026
Hamburg Airport Terminal 2
Hamburg, Germany (solo exhibition)
2019
Cultural Center, Grand Theatre
Hong Kong (solo exhibition)
2022
Gallery Roschlaub "Diamonds in the Rough"
Hamburg, Germany (solo exhibition)
2023
Gallery Livia Lisboa
Hamburg, Germany (group exhibition)
2025
A-K-R-I-S "Chronicles"
Hamburg, Germany (joint exhibition)
2025
Stadt Museum Baden-Baden, Film Installation
Baden-Baden, Germany
2025
A-K-R-I-S "Epilogue"
Hamburg, Germany (solo exhibition)
2026
University Hospital Hamburg "Heart Center" UKE
Hamburg, Germany (group exhibition)
About
Kiran West is a Hamburg-based filmmaker, designer and fine-art photographer. Originally from Canada, he began his career as a soloist with the Hamburg Ballet under John Neumeier before turning to photography and film, with movement, music and performance remaining central to his work.
His photography spans ballet, theatre, music and documentary, working with artists, brands and individuals across a wide range of creative projects. His work has taken him to international venues including Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo and The Joyce Theater in New York, with collaborations involving institutions such as Symphoniker Hamburg and the Berlin Academy of Music.
Beyond photography and film, Kiran creates editorial designs, publications, posters and visual identities, as well as films and projections for the stage.
His work has appeared in Der Spiegel, ARTE, Dance Magazine Japan, GEO, Die Zeit and Die Welt. His photographs have been on permanent display at Hamburg International Airport for nine years. In 2024, he received First Prize in the Professional category of the International Photography Awards (IPA).
Across disciplines, his approach remains collaborative and shaped by the individual character of each project.
Selected Clients
Der Spiegel, Hamburger Abendblatt, Elbphilharmonie, UKE Hamburg, Die Zeit, The Washington Post, Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, A-K-R-I-S, Vogue, Lufthansa Womens Magazine, Die Welt, Dance Magazine Japan, Arte Concert, SWR, GEO Magazine, C-Major Film Productions, Mopo Hamburg, The National Ballet of Canada, The Bolshoi Theater Moscow, Hamburgishe Staatsoper, Symphoniker Hamburg, Der Hamburger Magazine, International Airport Hamburg, HVV Hamburg, NDR Radio, Hamburger Morgenpost, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Welt am Sonntag, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden