ABOUT

In Paho Mann’s work, he investigates personal and cultural relationships to the objects we surround ourselves with, addressing shifts in values, perceptions, and memory. The use of present and cutting-edge technologies to observe and transform the world is central to his investigations. Mann is fascinated by how these tools mediate how we see and understand our world. These images serve as metaphors for the constant transition of photographic and imaging technology. The new technology displaces the old, reflecting a turbulent relationship between the two.

Mann’s most recent works combines traditional photographic approaches with 3d scanning. He constructs tabletop arrangements in his studio from broken and old camera equipment and cell phones, then combined these old pieces of technology with objects found in traditional still-life paintings, including flowers, vases, and the aftermath of consumption in the form of recycling. From 100s of still photographs made of these arrangements, he builds 3d models using photogrammetry software. As the software works to measure and interpret the photographic images to construct a model of the 3d space, he extracts temporary files that were never meant to be seen by humans. These temporary files are intended to be used by the computer to interpret depth and are only made as tools to help the computer build the final 3D model. Mann works with these files to create new, abstract compositions. The resulting images are amalgamations of the photos needed to make a 3d model of the arrangement in front of the camera. The final images distort and reconstruct the original scene, providing fluidity and conversation between computer vision and human vision.

Paho Mann’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Arizona State University Art Museum (Tempe, AZ), Tucson Museum of Art (Tucson, AZ), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN) and the Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, PA) among others. Mann’s work is included in the collections of the Tucson Museum of Art, the Museum at Texas Tech University, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and the City of Phoenix Public Art Program. Mann was born in 1978 on his parents homestead near Snowflake, Arizona. In 1992 he moved with his family to Albuquerque, New Mexico where in 2001 he received a BFA from the University of New Mexico. He received his MFA from Arizona State University in 2007. Currently, Mann lives and works in Dallas, Texas where he is an Associate Professor of Photography at the University of North Texas