Kelvin Mann - prints and biography

Alphabet series

The alphabet series grew from drawings based on Oscar Wilde's fairytales and the artist's realization that, although aimed at children, dark adult themes lurked beneath the surface. His a-to-z shows various animals, domestic and exotic, inhabiting the letters, some interwoven, some tangential, and some directly forming the shapes. They are wickedly clever and a joy to view.  Each letter is a mini tour de force of invention and each more aesthetically beautiful than the last." 
 - James Hanley RHA

Biography

Kelvin Mann (b. 1972, Dunedin, New Zealand) is a contemporary printmaker whose work fuses technical mastery with humor and imagination. Educated at the Otago School of Fine Art, Mann began his career as an animation artist with Vidmark Television in New Zealand from 1994 to 1996. This early immersion in animation sharpened his sense of movement, visual storytelling, and design.

Mann’s imagery often explores fantastical machines that resemble inventions from the industrial revolution but appear oddly impractical or absurd. These contraptions, depicted with precise linework and a touch of satire, reveal his fascination with the improbable—machines that seem both possible and impossible at once. Titles are central to his practice, often incorporating puns and wordplay that extend the humor and narrative of the image itself.

Another celebrated body of work is his Alphabet Series, a collection of prints pairing animals with letters. This series reflects his love of both language and natural forms, creating works that are playful, imaginative, and technically refined. The series has become one of his most admired projects, appreciated by collectors for its originality and charm.