Karin Preller lives and works in Johannesburg. After a relatively brief career in law, she completed a BA(FA) (cum laude) at Unisa and an MA(FA) (cum laude) at the University of the Witwatersrand, lecturing in Art History at UNISA and other tertiary institutions. She completed her PhD in Art and Design at the University of Johannesburg in June 2024.

Preller’s paintings are characterised by their reflection of the haunting and strange at the heart of the banal, in still lives and snapshots. She has participated in numerous group shows and has had a number of solo exhibitions: Family Album at ABSA gallery in 2001; Snapshots at Gordart Gallery 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 (now Lizamore and Associates) 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; Vestiges of light at Helpmekaar Kollege in 2021 and Beyond memory at the 2022 KKNK, amongst others. She is currently working towards a solo exhibition at the end of September 2024.

Preller’s work is included in a number of corporate collections. These include The Johannesburg Art Gallery, Sasol, ABSA, Unisa, Oliewenhuis Art Museum, The Public Protector, ATKV, the Pretoria Art Museum and the Standard Bank.