Regula Tschumi is a Swiss social anthropologist and photographer based in Bern, Switzerland. Working as a freelance cultural mediator in the field of arts and museums, she brings an ethnographic sensibility to visual storytelling. Her career spans more than two decades, during which she has traversed disciplinary boundaries between research, documentation, and artistic expression. Prior to her scholarly and photographic pursuits, she worked for the Swiss national airline Swissair until 2002, a position that she left to fully engage with independent research and imagery. This shift marked the beginning of a sustained practice that integrates her anthropological training with her passion for photography.

Tschumi’s visual language is grounded in long-term engagement with communities, often in West Africa. Since 2006 she has concentrated her photographic work on the African continent, producing images that are neither detached reportage nor exoticizing travel imagery. Instead, her photographs emerge from sustained immersion and anthropological attention to ritual, material culture, and the rhythms of everyday life. Her approach differs from conventional documentary photography in its emphasis on cultural translation and the careful layering of contextual meaning within each frame. She seeks to reveal the underlying social structures and symbolic systems that shape the scenes she captures.

Her most recognized body of work concerns funerary culture in Ghana, where elaborate coffins and festive funeral ceremonies transform mourning into a communal artistic expression. She has spent over twenty years documenting these practices, which are featured in her book ‘Buried in Style’ (though the exact publication date and publisher are not confirmed in the available sources). This body of work challenges Western preconceptions about death and illustrates how photography can serve as a bridge between disparate cultural worlds. Her research and images have been presented at various international platforms, including the Siena International Photo Awards, where they have reached a broader audience.

Tschumi’s dual training as a social anthropologist with a PhD and as a practicing photographer allows her to produce images that are analytically rich while remaining visually compelling. Her work is frequently shown in museum and art contexts, reflecting her role as a cultural mediator. She collaborates with institutions such as the Nubuke Foundation in Ghana, indicating an active engagement with contemporary African art scenes and a commitment to fostering reciprocal dialogue.

For photobook collectors, Tschumi’s publications offer a rare combination of scholarly rigor and visual artistry. Her documentation of Ghanaian funerals provides not only striking imagery but also deep cultural context, making her books valuable both as photobooks and as anthropological records. Collectors interested in African photography, visual anthropology, and cross-cultural documentary work will find her oeuvre an essential entry point. Moreover, her official website and active social media presence, including Instagram and Flickr, provide accessible gateways to her ongoing projects and expanding body of work, allowing enthusiasts to follow the evolution of her practice.

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