about

Bastian Peter (*1984) is a mask maker and art and street photographer.

Growing up an early curiosity developed surrounding what lies beneath any facade.

art & street photography

Bastian Peter is a Basel-based photographer working across street and conceptual art photography. His practice moves between documentary observation and deliberately staged moments that probe identity, space, and perception. While his street photographs are always unstaged and candid, his conceptual series are carefully constructed—often with studio-like setups. Whether on the street or in controlled environments, his images seek the tension between clarity and blur, intimacy and distance. Self-taught, he experiments with light, color, and motion to evoke emotions that resist quick interpretation. A 50mm lens is his preferred tool, complemented by varied perspectives.

In 2025, Peter was admitted to the Basler Kunst Gesellschaft (formerly Basler Künstler Gesellschaft). Bastian joined the Board of KunstWerk Basel in 2026. He is also the founder of SWISSSTREETCOLLECTIVE, a Swiss street-photography collective dedicated to building a platform for the medium in Switzerland and promoting the broader field of art photography.

maskmaking

Alongside his photographic work, Peter is active at Larven Atelier Charivari in Basel, where he crafts and paints traditional Basler Larven (artist masks) as a mask maker and painter (Larvenmacher & Larvenmaler). These artful masks—known locally as “Larven”—are integral to the Basler Fasnacht, one of Europe’s largest and most storied carnival traditions, embodying the festival’s deep cultural roots and historical significance.