What? by Eric Leiser

Event information

Eric Leiser is an award-winning artist, experimental filmmaker,
animator, sculptor, painter and holographer working in New York born
in California. An alumni of California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
Experimental Animation and Fine Art programs, Eric was mentored by
Exp Anim program creator/filmmaker/animator Jules Engel followed by
filmmaker/animator Suzan Pitt and Dr. William Alschuler in
Holography in the Art Department. After graduating from CalArts, he
was mentored by artist/filmmaker Jan Švankmajer in Prague, CZ.
Eric creates intricate works of painting, sculpture, animated film,
holography along with film installation integrating animation, painting,
sculpture, holography and live performance.
His most recent solo exhibitions include: Center Kanuma Contemporary
Art in Tokyo, Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, Filmhuis Cavia in
Amsterdam, The Horse Hospital Museum in London, Galerie du Haut
Pave in Paris, The Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco, Galerie
Entropia in Wrocław, MaRS Gallery in Los Angeles, Sound of MU
Gallery in Oslo, Flux Factory/Holocenter in New York City, Fringe
Exhibitions Gallery in Los Angeles, Central Academy of Fine Arts in
Beijing, Ruben H. Fleet Space Museum in San Diego and Goldsmiths,
University of London. Recent group exhibitions include: Kristály Színtér
in Budapest, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The MIT Museum,
MassMoCA, Kastrugård Museum in Copenhagen, Art Mür Gallery in
Montreal, Armory Arts Center, Spencer Brownstone Gallery and
Cabinet Magazine, Czech Surrealist Group Exhibition, Prague, CZ
among others. Eric’s work is in the collection of the Whitney Museum,
MoMA NY, EYE Filmmusuem, Kanuma Contemporary Art Musuem,

Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Istanbul Modern Museum of Art, New Zealand
Film Archive, Icelandic Film Archive, CVM Archive among many
others.
His animated/live action films have been shown at the Whitney Museum
of American Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of Modern Art
in NYC & Antwerp, The Istanbul Modern Museum of Art, Thessaloniki
Contemporary Art Museum, MASS MoCA, Künstlerhaus Bethanien,
Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas Museum de Buenos Aires, The Ruben H.
Fleet Space Museum, Four-Dimensions Space Art Museum Beijing, The
Exploratorium Museum, The Wexner Center, (BFI) British Film
Institute, Anthology Film Archives, Los Angeles Filmforum, San
Francisco Film Society, Aster Arts Plaza Hiroshima, Armory Art Center,
Taos Center of the Arts, Oxford University, Goldsmiths-University of
London, Royal College of Art, Harvard University, California Institute
of the Arts, The Art Institute in Chicago, The New School, SVA, Pratt
Institute, The Central Academy of Fine Arts Beijing, The University of
Toronto, University of Boulder Colorado and Sonoma State University
among others. His films have screened in the world’s top film festivals
most recently at the Cannes Film Festival, Annecy International
Animation Festival and the Hiroshima International Animation Festival
among others. His 4th feature film Apocalypsis was released by
Lionsgate in 2018. The 5 th feature film titled Twilight Park is out in
2025. A 3-part retrospective of his work from (2001-2015) is available
on kinoscope.org Part-4 of his retrospective, Films of Eric Leiser (2016-
2021) was released on kinoscope.org in Autumn 2022.