Conceptual nominee

According to Mannchen, “there are certain things and items in life that draw us in, especially as children: items that fascinate us because of their beauty, items that capture our attention because of their strangeness, items that stir our minds and take us on a journey in our imagination. Some of them never lose their effect on us, even when we are all grown up and have succumbed to being adults. Their fascinations still intrigue us after all these years and keeps our inner child alive. ”

In the series “Lost Boys” he photographs such items: things that evoke the inner child in him and never seem to bait his curiosity; things that spur memories of childhood when the world appeared bigger and the problems, responsibilities, and commitments were much smaller, a time when friendships were unquestionably solid, bills nonexistent, and time irrelevant. He brings us back to the past when “the only commitment was to our dreams.” 

Ulrich Mannchen (1984) was born and raised in a small village in Frankonia, Germany. At an early age, he became passionate about photography. He dedicated over a decade to honing his skills for analog black and white portrait photography.

After earning his master's in design, communications, and photography, Ulrich moved on the desire to leave his small village and explore the world. With a camera in hand, he spent 10 years traveling to over 40 nations in pursuit of "the most unique characters." In this time he was able to document people from all tribes, villages, and walks of life.

His work amplifies the stories of native tribes in Southern Ethiopia, the Cosplay scene in China, villagers in rural India, and the dying nomadic culture of the Mongolians to name a few. Ulrich utilizes portrait photography to honor the individual character and experience of each person he captures - with the sole purpose of bringing greater awareness to issues like globalization, human trafficking, orphan crises, and extreme poverty.

He has exhibited in multiple galleries and exhibitions in China, Europe, and the United States and taught, lectured, and ran workshops in numerous universities and schools worldwide.