ABOUT Hanna Bruer
BIO
Hanna Bruer is an abstract artist in Madison, WI. Her paintings combine illegible text and grunge textures to create visceral atmospheres. Her work is inspired by her struggles with mental health and the canvas serves as a personal journal to create something beautiful out of adversity. Viewers often enjoy the aesthetic of her work, but truly fall in love with the work once they learn the story and inspiration behind each piece. She has permanent installations throughout the Midwest, including Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and Dane County Credit Union, and has worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness for their Healing Art Shows. She is a current juried member of the Madison Art Guild.
Hanna also offers her work as performance through live painting. She converts a blank canvas into an active work of art, letting the bystander experience her creative process from start to finish. She has created paintings at venues such as the Majestic Theater and Memorial Union Terrace in Madison, as well as for Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Gallery Nights. Her work and story have been featured in the Wisconsin State Journal, Madison Magazine, Isthmus, and Cap Times publications in addition to being featured on NBC News.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Every human emotion demands to be examined. Joy, sorrow, anger, love, shame. Each deserves its own place and attention, and my reflective works aim to process their personal origins and resolutions. I use acrylic paint and ink to create gestural, abstract landscapes on canvas and wood. I incorporate illegible script as imagery, leaving the viewer open to interpret the wording and create their own story and relate it to their own experiences. I'm inspired by the depth, complexity, and uniqueness of an emotion in any moment, and am fascinated by how they evolve. I create meaningful atmospheres of color, texture, and language to capture a place of emotion forever.
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HANNA BRUER hanna@hannabruer.com | 608-571-6958 | Madison WI, Chicago IL
Born in 1984 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Lives and works in Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS [*denotes group show]
2023 The heART Show, North Street Cabaret, Madison WI
First Fridays Art Show, North Street Cabaret, Madison WI
2022 Solo Exhibition, Forward Craft and Coffee, Madison WI
The heART Show, DarkHorse Art Bar, Madison WI
2021 Solo Exhibition, Madison Squash Workshop, Madison WI
2019 Quiet Control, Solo Exhibition, Monroe Arts Center, Monroe WI
Solo Exhibition, GNP, Madison WI
Solo Exhibition, Quivey’s Grove, Fitchburg WI
2018 NAMI Wisconsin's 12th Annual Healing Art Show, Lakeside St Coffee, Madison WI*
Solo Exhibition, Hawks Quindel SC, Madison WI
Solo Exhibition, Industrious, Madison WI
Solo Exhibition, Synergy Coworking, Madison WI
Fitch-Rona Art Crawl, Hop Haus Brewing, Verona WI
2017 In All This Vastness, Gib's, Madison WI
Solo Exhibition, Hawks Quindel SC, Madison WI
Solo Exhibition, Synergy Coworking, Madison WI
Solo Exhibition, Alchemy, Madison WI
2016 Solo Exhibition, Lauer Realty Group, Madison WI
Dead and Buried, Fat City Emporium, Madison WI*
Fat City Emporium's First Friday Show, Winedown, Madison WI*
Fat City Emporium’s Gallery Night, Winedown, Madison WI*
Fat City Emporium’s Inaugural First Friday Show, Winedown, Madison WI*
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Gallery Night, Lauer Realty Group, Madison WI*
Solo Exhibition, Knupp & Watson & Wallman Advertising Agency, Madison WI
2015 Biting the Silver Tongue, Mother Fool’s Coffee House, Madison WI
NAMI Wisconsin’s 9th Annual Healing Art Show, VSA Wisconsin Gallery, Madison WI*
Finalist: Best in Show
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Gallery Night, VSA Wisconsin Gallery, Madison WI*
100Arts depART: Laika Boss, Madison WI*
Solo Exhibition, Electric Earth, Madison WI
2013 RAW: Encompass, High Noon Saloon, Madison WI*
SELECTED LIVE PAINTING PERFORMANCES
2023 Live Painting, North Street Cabaret, Madison WI
Private Wedding, Madison Wi
Malt House Tavern, Madison WI
LiveStream Painting, Instagram Live
2022 Live Painting, Forward Craft and Coffee, Madison WI
Live Painting, Malt House Tavern, Madison WI
LiveStream Painting, Instagram Live
2021 LiveStream Painting, Instagram Live
2020 LiveStream Painting, Instagram Live
2019 Compression Book Release and Rock & Roll Show, High Noon Saloon, Madison WI
Live Painting, Malt House Tavern, Madison WI
Private Wedding, Edgewater Hotel, Madison WI
Private Event, Bliss Flow Yoga, Madison WI
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Gallery Night, Hawks Quindel SC, Madison WI
Live Painting, Malt House Tavern, Madison WI
2018 Live From The Nest - The Daily Cardinal, UW Madison Campus, WI
4th of July Special Event, Memorial Union Terrace, Madison WI
Live Painting, Malt House Tavern, Madison WI
Private Wedding, Milwaukee WI
Dane County Credit Union’s 84th Annual Meeting, Dane County Credit Union, Madison WI
Art Asana, Bliss Flow Yoga, Madison WI
Fitch-Rona Art Crawl, Verona Vision Care, Verona WI
Fitch-Rona Art Crawl, Hop Haus Brewing, Verona WI
2017 Live Painting, Malt House Tavern, Madison WI
Private Wedding, Wausau WI
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Gallery Night, Hawks Quindel SC, Madison WI
Private Fundraiser, Chicago IL
2016 Dead and Buried, Fat City Emporium, Madison WI
Homemade for the Holidays, Winedown, Madison WI
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Gallery Night, Matrix Coworking, Madison WI
This Is Our City hosted by Hive, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison WI
Majestic Theater 8th Annual SummerJam, Session 5, Madison WI
Majestic Theater 8th Annual SummerJam, Session 4, Madison WI
Majestic Theater 8th Annual SummerJam, Session 3, Madison WI
Majestic Theater 8th Annual SummerJam, Session 2, Madison WI
Marquette-Atwood Art Walk, Lauer Realty Group, Madison WI
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Gallery Night, Lauer Realty Group, Madison WI
2015 Private Fundraiser, Milwaukee WI
Women Empowering Women Fundraiser, WE International and Hawks Quindel, Madison WI
Private Wedding, Lake Windsor Golf Club, Windsor WI
Majestic Theater 7th Annual SummerJam, Session 4, Madison WI
Majestic Theater 7th Annual SummerJam, Session 3, Madison WI
Majestic Theater 7th Annual SummerJam, Session 1, Madison WI
COMMISSIONS, VIDEOS, AND PERMANENT INSTALLATIONS
2022 Sony Playstation Madison Office, Madison WI
Corporate Art Commission and Permanent Installation
2019 Hawks Quindel Law Firm, Madison WI, Permanent Installation
2018 Verona Vision Care, Verona WI, Permanent Installation
Dane County Credit Union, Madison WI, Permanent Installation
Music Video, "I Love You, I Steal Your Gas" by Mark Mallman and Dick Valentine, Live Painting Performance
2017 Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Green Bay WI
Public Art Commission and Permanent Installation
2016 Validic, Durham, NC, www.validic.com, Corporate Art Commission and Permanent Installation
2015 Blue Gem Tattooing, Green Bay WI, Permanent Installation
PRESS & LINKS
2022 Madison Magazine Hot List, September
2019 Catherine Capellaro, "Hanna Bruer's Grunge Art," Isthmus, Nov 7, Vol 44, Iss 45, p4
2018 NAMI Wisconsin's 12th Annual Healing Art Show, short biography, Madison WI, October, pg 14.
2017 Lindsay Christians, "The Art of the Sale," Cap Times, October 18.
2015 NAMI Wisconsin’s 9th Annual Healing Art Show, short biography, Madison WI, December, pg 13.
Laura Jones, “The Art of Healing,” Isthmus, October 2nd, Volume 40, #39. 32.
Amy Carlson, Television Interview, NBC15 WMTV, Madison WI, September 9.
2013 Jason Ocker, “Text, Trinkets, and Tape: A RAWesome Good Time,”
Project Famous Magazine. 58-59.
RAW: Natural Born Artists, Video Interview, Madison WI, October 17.
RAW: Natural Born Artists, artist profile, September.
AWARDS
2023 Madison Art Guild juried membership
EDUCATION
2008 University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, BA, Studio and 2-Dimensional Art Emphasis
