Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in the Philippines, Paul Pfeiffer later moved to the United States to pursue his artistic education. He earned a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from the Hunter College of the City University of New York, establishing himself as a prominent figure in contemporary video and installation art.

Pfeiffer's practice centers on the digital alteration of mass-media imagery, often stripping away the primary subjects of televised athletic events or film clips to highlight the underlying structures of cultural consumption. His work frequently employs sculpture and photography alongside video to examine the intersection of technology, human perception, and the construction of fame.

His work continues to be featured in major international institutional exhibitions, including thematic surveys examining contemporary social constructs. He remains a significant voice in the discourse surrounding the influence of digital media on modern identity and the aesthetics of global spectacle.