EDUCATION
MA Scenography, Central Saint Martins, 2001
Professional degree in Scenography, Art Academy of Latvia, 1998
BA Scenography, Art Academy of Latvia, 1996
Solo Exhibitions
The Third Degree, Sesame, London, 2009
Icon Resistance, Sesame, London 2007
Sesame Gallery, London, 2005
Selected Exhibitions
Innerer Klang (curated by Irene Bradbury), Rod Barton, London 2009
PLUS, Volume Projects, Southwark, London 2009
East End Academy, Whitechapel Gallery, London, 2009
SCOPE Basel, Switzerland, 2009
Art Daegu, South Korea, 2009 Five Years, Sesame Gallery, London 2009
SCOPE Art Fair London 2008
Royal Academy Sumer Show, 2008
"Regroup", Sesame Gallery, London 2008
Lois Lambert Gallery, Santa Monica, USA, 2008
Bridge Art Fair, London 2007
Sense & Sensuality (Finalist), Royal College of Art, London, 2005
“Religion, Art & War”, Salon des Arts, London, 2003
Bastejs Gallery, Riga, Latvia, 2000 - 2003
"The Discerning Eye", Mall Galleries, 2002
"Challenge The Nail", Salon des Arts, London, 2002
Latvian Embassy, London, 2002
"Kunst im Schloss", Radisson SAS Resort Schloss, 2002
Fleesensee, Gohre-Lebbin, Berlin, 2000
Sophia Gallery, London, 2000
East Art Gallery, Berlin, 1999
Pfefferbank Gallery, Berlin, 1998
Galerie-Werkstatt, Berlin, 1997 - 2000
"Scenobox - 2000", E. Smilgis Museum, Riga, Latvia
International Scenic Design Exhibition `Prague Quadrennial 95`, Prague, Czech Republic.
Collections
Saatchi Collection, London
University of the Arts, London
Awards
Artist Residency, Bemis Center of Contemporary Arts, USA, 2004
"Prague Quadrennial 99", 1999
Henrijs Preiss paints most unusual works that are at once both old and new, exotic and familiar to all. Having studied in the Academy system in Latvia and coming from a family of Latvian and Russian artists, Henrijs has an in-depth knowledge of the compositional and spatial structures used in the creation of medieval religious icons. Drawing on these pre-Renaissance composition methods, he then combines them with 20th century abstract painting and cabalistic symbolism, resulting in works that are unusually balanced for abstract paintings. They travel a long time line, speaking across cultures to the sensation of hidden meaning through their motifs, and exuding all the compacted power of ancient icons but in a contemporary painted work.
