Landmark (Nana Y JR), 2021 acrylic on panel 10 x 21"
The artist’s new exhibition Souvenir serves as an overview of Mann’s various bodies of work over the last two decades. While they vary in media, they are all aspects of a larger, shared narrative of investigation. The earliest works are digital photo-collages, based on found Mid-Century postcards of holiday travel and resorts. These parks, motor lodges, diners and rest spots herald a bygone era when the country was inward-looking and self-satisfied. In manipulating and reorganizing the images, Mann inserts a quiet sense of discomfort, even dread. These are not happy places. We see rooms that are eerily silent, empty swimming pools, lonely figures hiding from the light, and from us.