Karin Preller

Karin Preller is a Johannesburg-based artist and academic. After a brief career in law, she pursued her passion for art, earning a BA(FA) (cum laude) from Unisa and an MA(FA) (cum laude) from the University of the Witwatersrand. She completed her PhD in Art and Design at the University of Johannesburg in June 2024.

Preller's paintings are known for capturing the haunting and strange within the mundane, through snapshots and still lives. Her distinctive style references moments frozen in time, revealing layers of memory and forgetfulness. Her work chronicles ordinary, paused stories—interrupted narratives and lost tales.

Her solo exhibitions include:

• Family Albumat ABSA gallery in 2001
• Snapshots at GordartGallery in 2007
• Aperture at Fried Contemporary in 2008
• Stills at Artspace (now Lizamore and Associates) in 2009
• City and Suburban at the Standard Bank Gallery in 2010
• Just above the mantelpiece at Artspace in 2013
• Stilled lives at Lizamore and Associates in 2015
• Stilled lives II at the Association of Arts in 2018
• Almost no memory at Lizamore and Associates in 2020
• Beyond memory at the 2022 KKNK
• Alles in foto’s at Woordfees, Stellenbosch, 2024

Preller has received several accolades, including the 2022 KKNK KANNA award and a nomination for a KykNET Fiēsta for her exhibition Beyond Memory. Her work is part of prestigious collections such as The Johannesburg Art Gallery, Sasol, ABSA, Unisa, Oliewenhuis Art Museum, The Public Protector, ATKV, the Pretoria Art Museum, and the Standard Bank.