About the artist behind the lens
Avi Pryntz-Nadworny
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Avi is an award-winning photographer, circus artist, and CODA (Child of Deaf Adults).
Growing up in Rochester, NY, Avi spent his youth bouncing between a fascination with animation and a playful obsession with juggling and gymnastics. That interest eventually brought him to Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he studied Graphic Design and New Media before the lack of physical movement prompted him to audition for ’École de cirque de Québec in Quebec City, Canada. After two years of intensive training, he landed a job with Cirque du Soleil and began working as an acrobat and fire juggler in Les Chemins Invisibles. After the show ended, he traveled to Italy to study tumbling and Cyr wheel at FLIC Scuola di Circo. A few years later, he moved back to the USA to join the international touring company PUSH Physical Theatre where he worked for eight years as a performer and choreographer.
In parallel to his international performing career, he worked on photo and video shoots; soon what started as a few odd jobs turned into a passion to create images and video with some of the world’s best circus artists, dancers and Grammy award-winning artists.
Avi currently resides in Rochester, NY and runs the media production company Photo Pryntz. When he is not running Photo Pryntz, performing, or working on his book. He can be found directing, lecturing at universities, and volunteering for the organization, Deaf Refugee Advocacy.
CV
Education
Scuola di Circo FLIC, Torino, Italy
2009 - 2010 - Juggling, Acrobatics, Dance, Trampoline and Cyr Wheel.
Ecole de Cirque de Québec, Québec, Canada
2008 - 2009 - Juggling, Acrobatics, and Trampoline.
Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA, — BA, incomplete
2006 - 2007 - Graphic Design and New Media.
Solo Exhibitions
2023 Gallery Night Ithaca - Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar, Beyond the Circus Tent, Ithaca, NY
2021 The Gallery in the Valley, Beyond the Circus Tent, Geneseo, NY
2017 Circus Culture, Beyond the Circus Tent, Ithaca, NY
Group Exhibitions
2024 Behind the Glass Gallery, 2023 Featured Artists, Rochester NY
2023 Memorial Art Gallery, 68th Rochester- Finger Lakes Juried Exhibition, Rochester, NY
2023 Behind the Glass Gallery, May Featured Artists, Rochester NY
2021 Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Last Year on Earth- Juried Exhibition , Rochester, NY
2019 Image City Photography Gallery , 2019 Portfolio Showcase - Juried Exhibition, Rochester, NY
2017 Image City Photography Gallery, Magic of Light - Juried Exhibition, Rochester, NY
2016 Image City Photography Gallery, Japonica, Rochester, NY
Awards & Achievements
2024 Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Community Arts Grant, “InDoors”.
2022-2024 Creatives Rebuild New York, Artist Employment Program, “Collaboration with Deaf Refugee Advocacy”.
2020 Circadium, New Circus Creation Residency, “Recircle”.
2019 Winner of Image City Photography Gallery, “Portfolio Showcase 2019”.
2014 Finalist on TruTV’s reality show “Fake Off”.
Press / Bibliography
2022 Circustalk.com
“As Headlines Fly, Photo Shoot Bridges Discussion About Circus Photography”
2022 Petapixel.com
‘No One Was In Danger’ Says Photographer Who Sparked Bridge ‘Rescue’ - by Jaron Schneider
2021 FORBES.com
LEADERSHIP - CAREERS “How The Greatest In The World Reverse Engineer Success”
2021 Washington Magazine - THE SOURCE
ARTS & CULTURE “A juggling act”.
2021 Livingston County News
“Beyond the circus tent: Geneseo exhibition shows the human side of Cirque du Soleil performers” - By Brendan Mcdonough
2021 City Magazine
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT “RoCo’s latest exhibit is a real artpocalypse” - By Rebecca Rafferty