Unwashed Bystanders 016
Still, 2026 · Unique
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About the artwork
Unwashed Bystanders
Operating from a perspective of radical distance and invisibility, this work explores the distortion between real figures and the subjective ideas we project onto them. Working in the dead of night—primarily between midnight and three a.m.—I capture subjects from hundreds of feet away, magnified 25x through a digital lens.
This initial act of voyeurism dissolves clarity, reducing people to spectral traces and ambiguous forms. In post-processing, these fragments are cut, blown up, blurred, sharpened, and occasionally altered with crude drawings or cloned textures to fill in missing limbs. Guided by first instinct to avoid overworking, I solidify fluid perceptions into concrete forms, capturing the unbreakable postures that remain when human presence is stretched to its absolute limits.
Frank Manzano, based in Chicago, is an artist focusing on abstract and conceptual digital compositions, with formal training in film and photography from Columbia College. His work delves into the exploration of shared societal symbols and aims to unravel the individual connections people forge with these symbols.
Manzano embraces the idea that moments of revelation can arise from idleness and boredom, a belief he consistently incorporates into his creative process. His artistic ambition centers around deciphering the symbols that define our culture, using contemporary digital mediums to articulate these foundational emblems. Through his artwork, Frank Manzano seeks to inspire viewers to embark on introspective journeys, encouraging them to scrutinize their personal relationships with the symbols that shape their existence.