Abner Preis

Abner Preis is a story-teller whose work is rooted in personal aspirations to give one hope in a situation that seems hopeless, to transfer the ability to laugh at sadness, and to seduce viewers into seeing beauty in bleak objects by offering compositions that play to emotion before aesthetics. What his extensive research, sensitivity and awareness provide is the simple and extremely difficult ability to tell a story with visuals that can be felt before they are understood. You can take it in at first glance, but generally don’t bargain for what happens once you’ve opened the door. What you see is what you get. There’s just a whole lot stacked beneath that, which you probably won’t be as quick to notice. Part of his success here can be attributed to painterly decisions such a palette and line. Today he uses Sharpie’s and Crayons instead of acrylics or oils, and the results are every bit as beautiful.

Abner Preis, has recently perfromed in the Dordrech Musuem, Kunst Hal Rotterdam, presented his short film at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, presented solo exhibitions such as ‘The Adventures of the Great Abnerio‘ at Showroom Mama (Rotterdam, 2011), ‘The Superhero Project’ (Brussels, Istanbul, Miami, Herford, 2010/11) and participated to group shows, most notably ‘More Crisis More Performance (Brakke Grond, Amsterdam 2011) and ‘Light- Part 2,’ which also featured Terrence Koh and the Chapman Brothers. Preis earned a BFA at the Tyler School of Fine Arts, and has been the recipient of several artist residencies in Amsterdam, Rome, Berlin and Rotterdam. In 2010, he was nominated for the Illy Prize at Art Rotterdam and more recently has featured at the Twente Bienalle, Art Amsterdam, Design Week Istanbul and the Rotterdam International film festival while touring as a performance artist both independently and with his group, the Dogs of Shame.  His work is in the permanent collection of th eGlas Huise museum, rebel media collection, Alexander Baron Collection, Temple University Rome . as well as many private collections. 

Education
2001 BFA- Tyler School of Fine Arts Philadelphia PA
Painting, Minor Art History
2000 Temple University Rome Italy
1995-97 Prescott Collage School of Environmental Science and Outdoor Leadership
1997 Independent study Mexican Murals and Masks, The Silver Rout Mexico
1996 Marine Ecology and Environmental studies. South Water Key, Belize City, Belize.

Artist Residency:
Moddr Institute for Media, Berlin 2011
Syb House 2009
Kunst and Complex Rotterdam 2008
Foundation B.A.D. Rotterdam Netherlands 2008
Het Kattenback Amsterdam Netherlands 2006

Awards/Nominations
2010 Illy Prize Nominated
Finalist: Polly Morph Kunst Prize 2008

Art Collectives
Dogs of Shame
NoNewEnemies.Net
Trendbeheer.com


2013-Solo Exhibition; Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels, BLG.
2012- Solo exhibition; Gallery Gabriel Rolt, Amsterdam NL.
2012 “15 years of Showroom Mama” KunstHal Rotterdam
Escape the Golden Cage Vienna
“Up Zone”, Stichting KOP Breda NL
“The Lagoon”Venice 6114, Culver City LA US
 
Performaces: 2012
“The Super Hero Project”Cleveland Institute of Art 2012 US
Grace Exhibition Space NYC 2012 US
“A guided history of Art DordrechtMuseum, Dordrech NL
“Like a Hurricane” Good children gallery New Orelans US
“The More Crisis the More Performance” Perfromance art event Brakke Grond ,Amsterdam NL

 “Sweat Boxing” Galleria Leto, Warsaw Poland
2011 “To all tomorrow’s Parties” Tent,CBK,Rotterdam
2011 “The Adventures of the Great Abnerio”
 Show Room Mama Rotterdam Netherlands.
2011 Twente Bielnalle, Twente Nethelands
2011 “Piece de Resistance” Mediamatic Lab, Amsterdam Netherlands
2011 Light Show II Gallery Gabriele Rolt Amsterdam Netherlands
2011-2012 Noordkap,  Cologne, Istanbul, Mexico City. 2011-2012
2011 IFFR International Film Festival Rotterdam
Movie Premier “The Great Abnerio’s Circus”

2011 Performance Tour:
Museum Schunck* Heerlen, NL
W139 Amsterdam,NL
Museum MU Eindhoven ,NL
Ro Theater/Showroom MAMA Museum Night Rotterdam
21 Rozendaal Enschede,NL
NP3 Groningen,NL

2010-
“The Super Hero project”,
Modo Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
Human Cities Festival, Istanbul, Turkey.
Scope Miami, Miami, USA.
Gemeentemuseum/Gem Den Haag, Netherlands.
FAU Jupiter Library Gallery Florida, USA
Photo Gallery Rotterdam, NL
Noordkaap Munich,Germany
“Comma” Festival Peruggia Italy.

2010 “Brothers in Arms”, World Of Witte De Witte Festival. Dance and Story Performance. Choreographed by Lloyd Marengo

2011 “The Rappical” Dogs of Shame Performance and Album. In collaboration with Moddr Institute for Media, Berlin, Amsterdam, Worm, Rotterdam. Netherlands. Vienna, Austria.

2010
Don't Worry Be Happy, MAMA Showroom for Media Art,
Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The Struggles of a Superhero, an Introvert and a Rising Star.
Zaal 5 Filmhuis Den Haag, Netherlands

SCHWARZWALD Heavy Metal III,
Noordkaap, Dordrecht, Netherlands

“Never Land”, zoete-broodjes Kunstvlaii/Art Pie
Amsterdam, Netherlands.

2009
Warriors, Loners and Space Travelers (with Wayne Horse), Galerie Gabriel Rolt, Amsterdam.
Happy Ever After, Galerie Brot, Undspiele, Berlin,Germany.  
The Love Tour, Urban Affairs, Berlin, Germany.
Urban Explorers Festival, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
Bear Man and Alice, SYB Huise, Friezland, Netherlands.  
Art Amsterdam 2009, Gabriel Rolt Gallery, Amsterdam Netherlands.
RAiR #1, Rotterdam Artists In Residence, Witte de With. Netherlands.
Trendebehheer presents, Art Rotterdam, Rotterdam Netherlands.   
Monkeys On the Water, Het Wilde Witten, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

2008
Big Geezers Show, Scione Installation Space, Los Angeles, USA
No New Enemies, Museum Botanique, Brussels, Belgium
Fuoco, Fiera Di Milano, spazio Breda 40, Milan , Italy
The New Dutch School, Artworks Gallery, Museum of Art, Philadelphia USA
The Smoke Show, Tattooed Mom, Philadelphia USA
Art Therapy Tour, Wolf and Pack Gallery, Amsterdam Netherlands
Some of our heroes play sports, Prostor Gallery, Zagreb Croatia.  
America Liberates the Netherlands July 4th 2008, Cutting Cultures Gallery, Amsterdam  
The Garbage-Tzar, Project space B.A.D., Rotterdam

Performances: 2010
Human Cities Festival Istanbul, Turkey
Museum Folkwang “A star is born”, Essen, Germany.
World Of Witte de With Festival, Rotterdam Netherlands
Museum Jan Cunen”Massa Crass” Oss, Netherlands
Solar Festival, Roermond Netherlands
Juicy Beats Festival, Drochden Germany
CBK Tent, “Who Stole The Tarts” Rotterdam Netherlands
Het Compagnietheater “Kom Ja Ook 5 ”, Amsterdam Netherlands
Art Rotterdam, Central stairs, Galerie Gabriel Rolt, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Gallery Paradise Row, London, England  
Walhalla Theater, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Hotel Dominican, Brussels, Belgium
Performance & book presentation, Mr. Ego, Brussels, Belgium
Don't Worry Be Happy, Opening performance, MAMA Showroom for Media Art, Rotterdam Netherlands
Mediamatic, Amsterdam Netherlands
Web 2.0 Suicide Machine, web based video Performance, Austria Vienna

2009
The Honor Dance, Performance and Video, Galerie Gabriel Rolt, Amsterdam
Painting Wars, The Melkweg, Amsterdam Netherlands  
Love Tour Urban Affairs, Berlin Germany
These are the shoes my daddy was wearing when he touched my birdie, Adidas Live Painting, PictoPlasma, Berlin  
Tattoo's are gay, No New Enemies At the Church, Brussels, Belgium  
Brussels White Cube Hotel
Hiding Hidi, MeBike Festival, Paradiso Amsterdam,  
James Brown Tribute, Johnny Cash Tribute, Motown
Tribute, Sugar Factory, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Urban Explorers Festival Doordrecht,Netherlands
A song From Venice Beach, Club Attent- Rotterdam Netherlands
Pete the Pig and Charley the Clown, Art Amsterdam, Netherlands
Trendbeheer Presents: Art Rotterdam
Words Live 2 @ De Player, Story Telling, Rotterdam Netherlands
Charlie the Clown, Scione Installation space. USA  
Shirly Templeton, The Paradiso, Amsterdam Netherlands
The Bully, Het Kring, Amsterdam Netherlands
Prix De Nuix, The Paradiso, Amsterdam Netherlands
Letters From The Front, Foundation B.A.D., Rotterdam, Netherlands
Plastic The White Hotel, Brussels, Belgium.  
Boxing Series, Accidental Monday, Sugar Factory, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Art Fairs:
2012 Art Brussels Gabriel Rolt
2011 Art Amsterdam with Gallery Gabriel Rolt, Amsterdam Netherlands
2011 Scope Miami, HLP Project, Miami USA
2010 Art Amsterdam, Paved Paradise Amsterdam Netherlands
2010 Art Brussels presented by Object Rotterdam, Brussels Belgium.
2010 Kunstvlaii/Art Pie Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2010 Art Rotterdam, Gallery Gabriel Rolt, Rotterdam Netherlands
2009 Art Amsterdam,Gallery Gabriel Rolt,Amsterdam Netherlands
2009 Art Rotterdam, TrendBeheer Photo Museum 

Curatorial and Art Director Work –Video
CO-Creator ZeroZero.TV- <link http: www.livestream.com zerozero>www.livestream.com/zerozero
Founding member of The Dogs Of Shame, <link http: www.vimeo.com user3577328>www.vimeo.com/user3577328
<link http: dogsofshame.com _blank external-link-new-window externen link in neuem>dogsofshame.com
The Web 2.0 Suicide Machine over 1,000,000 million visitors <link http: vimeo.com _blank external-link-new-window externen link in neuem>vimeo.com/8223187

Owner/ Director Gallery 182, concept based Gallery, Rotterdam.  Shows are concept based starting with Pimps and Prostitutes, Daddy Touched My Birdy; I think Grandpa was a Nazi, Shaved Or Natural, In the Bed Room (Hester Schurwater), and Inside Job (a show purchased by the Boijmans Museum).  The Gallery has included more than 150 local and international artists.  The gallery has been represented by International magazines and has been part of Art Rotterdam art fair as a gallery guest.

2006-present “MeBike”(NL) Concept and Co Curator.  Me Bike is a show based on dream bike.  The idea came from a “Simpson’s” episode when Homer designed his dream car for his brother.    More than 150 international artists have submitted their dream bikes, several venues including the WesterPark Terrien, RAI, Chiellery, and the Paradiso, Mediamatic, BMX world championship Cologne, Mr. Ego Brussels.  
<link http: mebike.org _blank external-link-new-window externen link in neuem>mebike.org

2003-2005 Art Director Spazio P4 Milan, (IT) Development of a new commercial gallery space, based on local and international art for clients on the “fringe”.  Clients include Fiat, ChupaChups, Xbox, Absentia, Ubi Soft, DSL55, and TomTom.

Concept and Curator “The Urban Edge Show”.  Euros Largest Street Art and Urban Culture Show till Date.  Over 70 international artists including, Obey the Giant, Will Barras, Doze Greene,Dr. Lakra, Sharp, Blu, Mr.Jago. The Barn Stormers, Finders Keepers Crew, Jeremy Fish, The London Police, Galo, MicroBo.  Also including works by Banksey, Delta, Sailor Jerry, The Lue Family, Martha Cooper, Jemel Shabazz. Amongst others.
<link http: www.vimeo.com>www.vimeo.com/8984823


Book Publication:

Highbrow, Lowbrow, NoBrow
Written by Harlan Levy
Ginko Press 2010
 
“Java Jesse”
Written and illustrated by Abner Preis
No New Enemies publication 2010

ModArt Book
Ginko Press
2009

The Art of Rebellion
By c100 2007

Articles: Magazine/Web
2008-2011

NRC Handelsblaad “Deze circusshow is gul” 28/01/2011
The Daily Tiger Rotterdam Front Page “The Great Abnerios Circus”  29/01/2011
Kunstbeeld Manon Braat Critics Choice  02/02/2011
IHArt,Belguim, Review of the Great Abnerio 12/02/2011
Kunstbeeld Magazine 05-2010 “SYB”
Metropois M 0-2010 “Urban Explorer Festival”
Kunstbeeld 02/2010 “Art Rotterdam”
Shift Magazine 02/2010 “American Story Teller”
ArtForum 02/2010 “Holland Tunnel”
ModArt Magazine 02/2010 “The Great Abnerio”
Time Out Amsterdam 02/2010  “Blame It on Abner”
I love Fake Magazine “Abner Preis” 01/2010
Metropolis M Gallery 182a 2009 Issue 3
Juxtapose Magazine-Big Geezers November 2009

Projectinfo

Documentation