PATRICIA VON AH

VISUAL MEDIA ARTIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, FILMMAKER, RESEARCHER

Patricia von Ah is internationally recognised for her visual media work as an artist, photographer, and filmmaker. However, her contributions extend beyond artistic pursuits. As the founder of SEETHINK LAB, she is dedicated to researching the impact of visual experiences.

Focusing on phenomenological experiences and the effects of technological advancements in photography, both in the scientific and artistic realms, her work raises critical questions about the role of technology in shaping our visual world. Her research seeks to unravel how what we see influences us and how we can use seeing and thinking to process, enhance and create novel experiences for future generations.

Patricia received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the ArtCenter College of Design in California and a Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic Research from the University of Art and Design in Basel. Her work explores themes related to human experience, delving into complex topics such as physical transparency, the essence of perception, intuition-based seeing, and the interplay between time and photography. Her artistic practice is both commercial and creative in nature, reflecting her deep curiosity about the world around us.

Throughout her career, Patricia’s approach is one of intuition. She values the process of collaboration, sharing practices of discovery that lead to unexpected results. Patricia’s work seamlessly integrates photography and film, working cross-media with a variety of analogue and digital formats. Her photographic portraits and documentary films demonstrate a genuine personal connection and sensitivity to the subject while creating a visual language that performs across multiple communication platforms.

Exhibiting internationally; Patricia’s early analogue photography was first presented at Sotheby’s, both in London and New York. She has participated as one of fourteen of the world’s most renowned female fashion and portrait photographers in the Elton John Aids Foundation charity project 4 INCHES with Jimmy Choo & Cartier. She has been featured photographer on both America’s and Germany’s Next Top Model. Her celebrity portraits of such luminaries as Yoko Ono, Dennis Hopper and John Travolta and her prestigious clientele from Fondation Beyeler to Swiss Wine, demonstrate the diversity of her portfolio, highlighting her range in technical competency and creative expression.

MY ASSOCIATED SITES

SELECTED SHOWS & EXHIBITIONS

RED, GREEN AND BLUE – collaboration exhibition, Galerie Agènor, Zurich, Sept 2022
THE WHY – group exhibition, Gulla Jónsdóttir Atelier, La Peer Hotel, Los Angeles, Dec–Jan 2020
VOLO – collaboration exhibition, Building Bridges Art Exchange, Los Angeles, Dec–Feb 2019
BRICK/GRIT – group exhibition, Bestor Architecture, Los Angeles, Dec 2018
QUIET PLACE – group exhibition, Secrets, Kunsthalle, Bern, Nov 2015
C&J – group exhibition, Photobastei, Zurich, Aug 2014
HANDS OF TIME – group exhibition, Oslo 8, Basel, Sept 2013
RABBIT HOLES – group exhibition, Sotheby’s, London, Jan 2010
LOST BIRDS – dual artist show, Scalo/Guye Gallery, Los Angeles, June 2007
WOMEN: SELF PORTRAIT – group exhibition, Kashya Hildebrand Gallery, New York, June 2006
LOST BIRDS & RABBIT HOLES – solo show, Galerie Kashya Hildebrand, Zurich, April 2006
FOUR INCHES – charity auction, Elton John Aids Foundation, Christie’s, London, May 2005
WASTE TO TASTE – group exhibition, Sotheby’s, London, Feb 2003
FOR LUCK – portrait Edmund De Waal, Egg Gallery, London, April 2002
OUTMODED – group exhibition, Sotheby’s, London, March 2001
UNEXPECTED – British artist portraits, Sotheby’s, New York, Dec 2001

PRODUCED AND DIRECTED FILMS

THE WIND TUNNEL – short film, documentary, ZHdK, 2021
INVERSION – short film, artistic contribution, ZHdK, 2021
VOLO – Air to Air Shared Visions of Flight – artistic collaboration film and exhibition, 2019
BUILDING SPIRIT Of LIFE® – fund raising event, City of Hope, 2019
OUT OF CONTROL – cinema trailer, opening film, Ohlala, 2018
24 STOPS – project documentation, Tobias Rehberger, Fondation Beyeler, Vitra Design Museum, 2017
BENTLEY 1951 R-TYPE FASTBACK – short film, narrated by José Oliver, 2014
SWISS WINE – national promotion campaign, six regional short films and television trailer, 2014
NOAH – performance trailer, Origen Festival Cultural, 2014
XENIA – short film, Maxim, 2014
VANISHING – documentary, 10-act dance choreography, Hideto Heshiki, 2012
TRACK DAY – short film, St. Moritz Automobile Club, 2011
Various short films and commercials, 2009 - present

WRITTEN WORK

IMAGES BEYOND LOGIC: PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE PHOTOGRAPH – HGK Basel, master’s thesis, Sept 2021
PERCEPTUAL INFLUENCES, TIME, AND THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE – HGK Basel, July 2020
SEEING THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY, SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES – HGK Basel, Jan 2020

WORKSHOP & LECTURE TOPICS

RED, GREEN AND BLUE – Collaboration presentation, Pro Colore, Architekturforum Zurich, Nov 2023
ZERO BASELINE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE – workshop Basel, Sept 2023
ARCHIVE, ACCESS AND ATTUNE – lecture ZHdK, May 2023
ONE MINUTE EXPOSURE – SEETHINK LAB, 2021
THE EXPERIENCE ENHANCER – SEETHINK LAB, 2021
CIRCLE OF TREES – A FIELD GUIDE FOR DISCOVERY – 3-D space exploration, HGK Basel, 2021

ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTIONS

THE OSLO MANIFESTO – climate initiative, The Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture (DogA), Nov 2015
MOI POUR TOIT FOUNDATION, charity book project, Martigny, 2014
WHITE CHRISTMAS CHARITY BALL, charity auction, Zurich, Nov 2011
FOUR INCHES – charity auction, Elton John Aids Foundation, Christie’s, London, May 2005

BOOKS AND BOOK CONTRIBUTIONS

CHROMATIC – Explorations of a Family Archive – limited-edition, Patricia von Ah, 2022
CHASSELAS – FROM FÉCHY TO DÉZALEY – Chandra Kurt, 2014
INSPIRATIONS – charity book project, Moi pour Toit Foundation, 2014
KRUG, BY KRUG LOVERS – portrait Serena Sutcliffe, M.W., 2014
BEST OF ZEIT MAGAZIN – portrait Christian Kracht, Zeitverlag, 2010
LOST BIRDS – limited-edition, Patricia von Ah, 2007
FOUR INCHES – charity book project, Elton John Aids Foundation, 2005