Brian Zegeer was born in Lexington, KY. His works encounter the Appalachian and Lebanese landscapes of his parentage as highly-charged networks of belonging and collective hallucination. Zegeer believes that the process of stop-motion animation can awaken the quiet narratives embedded in a place.
Zegeer worked with archivists and community groups to recover the story of the Manhattan’s Little Syria and the early 20th Century literary movement that blossomed there. He recently completed a 2-year residency at the Queens Museum, examining this history against the backdrop of Robert Moses’ transformative vision for the city, and his role in the Little Syria community’s displacement.
Contact: info@brianzegeer.com
CV
Brian Zegeer
Education
2010 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture
2005 MFA University of Pennsylvania
2001 BFA University of NC Greensboro
Selected Exhibitions / Screenings
2021
Endless State, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, https://www.endlessstate.work/
The Time Being, Tussle Projects, https://www.tusslemagazine.com/the-time-being
2020
Roadside Picnic: Brian Zegeer and Naomi Nakazato, two-person exhibition, Field Projects
A Sphinx: On the Hwang-Zegeer Macrobiome, wall installation, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn
Death Cafe: Hotpot Edition, Companion Video in collaboration with Heidi Lau, BRIC Media
Friendly Ghost, curated by Juiceboxx Projects, Miriam Gallery
2019
Billboard Commission, SaveArtSpace, Brooklyn
The Spectral Within, 5-50 Gallery, NY
Domestic Ecologies, Mitte Project Space, NY
2018
Faculty Exhibition, Marymount Manhattan College
2017
Near & Dear, Curated by Carrie Moyer, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts , NY
Little Gods, mixed-media performance with Baby Copperhead, I-Beam, NY
2016
The Flat Files: Year 4, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, NY
Threaded Archetypes, NARS Foundation, NY
2015
The Museum Imagined, Curated by Lilly Wei, Danese/Corey Gallery, NY
World is New, Curated by Yin Ho and Andrew Prayzner , Space Available, NY
Artist in the Marketplace Biennial, Bronx Museum of Art, NY
Studio Program Exhibition, Queens Museum, NY
Little Syria Parade, Commissioned by Edge of Arabia for the 2015 Armory Show, NY
2014
Good Job, Everybody, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, NY
2013
Scene:Brooklyn Film Festival, Group Screening, Union Docs, NY
do it (outside), Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Performance, Socrates Sculpture Park, NY
2012
In Search of… ,Traveling Group show, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KA
Queens International 2012: Three Points Make a Triangle, Museum Biennial, Queens Museum, NY
2011
Gameshow, Group show, Florida International University, Miami, Fl
Into the Woods, Video Screening, Regina Rex, Queens, NY
Shellgame, Two-Person Exhibition with Caleb Nussear, Local Project, Queens, NY
Futuro Perfecto, Group Exhibition, Curated by Anthony Allen and Katayoun Vaziri, Zora Space, Brooklyn, NY
ESP TV Episode #1, Group Screening, Louis V. ESP Gallery and Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Brooklyn
2010
Compostion/Entropy, Two-Person Exhibition with Antonio Serna, Vizkult / Transiant Exhibition, Bucharest, Romania
Drawing Blood, Group Exhibition, curated by Kathleen Smith, Work Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Meteor in the Mirror Cloud, Three-Person Exhibition with Caleb Nussear and Elizabeth Cooper, St. Cecilia’s Convent, Brooklyn, NY
Geometry and Gesture, Group Exhibition, Elga Wimmer Gallery, NY
Moving Paper, Group Exhibition, Museum of Art and Design, NY
2009
Will It Happen?, Group Exhibition, Elga Wimmer Gallery, NY
2008
Kraj Majales, Solo Exhibition, Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn, NY
Avatar Atavistic, Group Exhibition, curated by Andrew Prayzner, Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn, NY
SLIDE RULZ II: $$$, Group Screening , curated by Tova Carlin, Monkeytown, Brooklyn, NY
Filmideo, Group Screening, Red Saw Gallery, Newark, NJ
In Praise of Apathy!, 2008, Two-Person Exhibition with Matt Neff, Bebe Benoliel Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Natural Selection, Group Exhibittion, Maryland Art Place , Baltimore, MA
Starting From Goo, 2008, Group Exhibition, Rebekah Templeton Contemporary Art, Philadelphia
2007
Contemporary Videos, Group Screening, Curated by Delmira Valladares, Jersey City Museum , Jersey City
SLIDE RULZ 1: BRING HOME THE BACON, Group Screening , curated by Tova Carlin, Monkeytown, Brooklyn, NY
23 Degrees, Group Exhibition, Icebox Project Space , Philadelphia, PA
Fever Pitch, Group Exhibition, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE
2005
Voxenniel, Group Exhibition, Vox Populi Galley, Philadelphia, PA
Professional Experience
2016
Panel Discussion Moderator, “Underserving Syria”, Queens Museum
2015
Assistant Professor, Marrymount Manhattan College, 2015-Present
2013
Co-Host, Segment Producer, I Ran into Iran, Creative Time Reports/ Six Pillars to Persia September 2013 – 2015 , NY, London
2012
Assistant Professor, Laguardia Community College, 2012-Present
2009
Curator, VideoVaudeville, video art series for Manhattan Neighborhood Network, 2009-2010, NY
2008
Co-creator, performer, Pull My Daisy, Collaborative Animation and Sound performance series with Baby Copperhead, 2008-present, NY, touring
Art Critic, Timeout NY, 2008-2009
2007
Co-founder, Co-director, Vaudeville Park, Performance and Exhibition space , 2007-2012 , Brooklyn, NY
Panelist, Re-inventing the Miniature | School of Visual Arts | 2007 | NY, NY
Instructor, University of Pennsylvania, 2005
Residencies and Awards
2016
BRIC Arts Media Fellowship
2015
Best Video Art Production, 3rd i Awards, Alwans for the Arts
2014
Queens Museum Artist-in-Residence , Queens, NY, 2014 – 2016
Artist in the Marketplace, Bronx Museum of Arts, Bronx, NY
2013
Flockhouse Resident, NY
2010
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine
2008
Center For Emerging Visual Artists Travel Grant, Philadelphia
2005
University of Pennsylvania Teaching Fellowship, Philadelphia
2004
Vermont Student Center Fellowship, Johnson, VT
Publications
“Brian Zegeer: Porous Identities”, Interview with Etty Yaniv, Artspiel, April 5, 2021, https://artspiel.org/brian-zegeer-porous-identities/
“Death Cafe:Hotpot Edition”, Editor’s Pick, Artnet, April 7, 2020, https://news.artnet.com/art-world/editors-picks-april-27-2020-1840047
“Near & Dear”, Artforum Critics’ Picks, October 2017 https://www.artforum.com/picks/near-dear-71471
“Queens Museum Studio Program”, Interview, Queens Museum, 2016, https://vimeo.com/171462667