BIOGRAPHY

Anne Siems

Born 1965, Berlin, Germany
Lives and works in Seattle, Washington

Artist Statement:

After the 2016 elections I have found myself in a new frame of mind. I couldn’t continue the transparent lace dresses, flora and fauna. It felt like my personal garden of Eden had been invaded and I had no choice but to step out.

I was searching for a stronger expression of my feelings in response to what had happened in America. I shifted to an emphasis on pattern, color, brushstroke and mark making. Moving into an ongoing exploration of my personal experiences through more abstract means of expression.

On the heels of my show with almost abstract art, I became motivated by the “#metoo” movement, and concerned myself in particular with the developments around the unveiling of women’s repression. Letting go of shame around sexuality and nakedness, and by contrast moving into the strength of girl power and womanhood. This led me right into the work for FERAL in which I was inspired by a new sense of feminism, a place of wildness, unconcerned with dictates of the fashion industry, the ideas of what a beautiful woman is supposed to look like, the letting go of rules about body size and embracing women of all color. The young girls and women are stepping forward to be viewed in both their vulnerability and strength. They have nothing to hide. They can be both soft and strong. They can be themselves.

When I returned in the fall to my studio I suddenly felt like something new had shifted. I started to depict young women again with transparent clothing, but they were clearly contemporary, sporting tattoos, purses and their hands had become animals. “Her Hands are Wild and Dangerous” was the first painting for this show. 

Something about this work feels like in these last two years I have come full circle—no pun intended—I have incorporated many of the new abstract markings of early 2017, the bodies are clothed and back in ae lots of detail, their wardrobe contemporary with a ‘hip’ nod to the 60s and 70s, the time in which I grew up. These young women and children look at the viewer with confidence and possibly daring. You will not mess with them. They are both ‘woke’ and mysterious.

The newest series titled “tattooed”, depicts stories that are tattooed on the women’s bodies. They are fables, they are mythical signs, they are rites of passage. These tattoos are also political,they are unapologetic and brave. They are markers of the world we live in and this time that on so many levels feels right on the edge in many ways, both personal and general. They speak of shadow work, of exploring the dark sides of our psyche, but also of strength and hope. The women in the paintings take a stance that is forward, unabashed, direct and thoughtful.

 

Anne Siems Biography

I was born in Berlin, Germany.  As a child, I lived for three years near Buenos Aires, Argentina. My first extended stay in the US was as an exchange student.  After finishing my MFA in Berlin, I moved to Seattle, WA.

My work has moved from semi-abstract, room-filling plant and insect drawings, to paintings of detailed botanical and anatomical imagery on waxed paper bags, to my current work of young women and children on wood panel. The thread here being my fascination and awe of life on this planet and the connectedness I feel to all, but find hard to describe in words.

In the process of finding healing for chronic pain and fatigue, I have deepened my interest in shamanism, ceremony and the deep nurturing that nature provides. 

In my work I try to be as honest and true to myself as I can without losing discernment. I aim as best as I can for sincerity, intimacy and openness in my paintings. In them I find the beginning of something that touches the universal. It is a place where others can touch the magic and sensuality that gets exposed in the process.

I think deep inside of us lives a longing to experience a sense of 'falling in love'.  A visceral experience without words. For that to happen, this place needs to be free of irony and conceptual humor.  I am looking in my work to find the point in which we feel a certain ache – the ache caused by the knowledge that life is full of light and dark, sacred and profane, beauty and ugliness, life and death.

"Look, I want to love this world as though it's the last chance I'm ever going to get to be alive and know it.” — from October, by Mary Oliver

 

Education

Master of Fine Arts, Hochschule der Kunste, Berlin, Germany 1991

Fulbright Scholarship, University of the South, Sewanee, TN, 1986-87​

 

Upcoming Shows

Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, WA, Feb 2020

Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, TX Jul 2020

David Lusk Gallery, Nashville, TN, Sep 2020

Russo Lee Gallery, Portland, OR, 2020

Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID, 2020

David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN, 2021

TEW Galleries, Atlanta ,GA  ​ Feb 2021

 

Solo Exhibitions

Slete Gallery, Culver City, CA

Littlejohn Contemporary, New York, NY   2018

Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, WA 2018

David Lusk Gallery, Memphis,TN 2018

Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID  2018

Russo Lee Gallery, Portland OR,  July 2017

Wally Workman Gallery, Austin TX, July 2017

David Lusk Gallery, Nashville TN, October 2017

Drawings, Walker Contemporary, Boston, MA   2016

New Work, Littlejohn Contemporary, New Canaan, CT  2016

Woodside Braseth Gallery, Seattle, WA   2016

Works on Paper, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN 2016

Dream Lessons, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2015

Elements, Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID 2015

Beauty the Brave, Slete Gallery/Obsolete, Venice, CA 2015

Edges of Mist, Littlejohn Contemporary, New York, NY 2015

Old Growth, Grover Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 2014

Part II, Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID 2014

Trees, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN 2014

Healing, Littlejohn Contemporary, New York, NY 2013

Ceremony, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2013

A Careful Observation of Daylight, Obsolete, Venice, CA 2013

Anne Siems, Wolly Workamn Gallery, Austin, TX 2012

Guidance, Grover Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 2012 

Saints and Other Folk, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2011

More Saints, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN 2011

Paintings, Littlejohn Contemporary, New York, NY 2011

Wolpertinger & Other Creatures, Jacana Contemporary, Vancouver, BC 2010

Taxonomy of the Velvet Forest, Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 2010

Heartbranches and Strange Plants, Obsolete, Venice, CA 2010

Butterfly Flight & Other Stories, Walker Contemporary, Boston, MA 2009

Creatures, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland,OR 2009

Birds, Littlejohn Contemporary, New York, Ny 2009

New Work, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland,OR 2008

New Work, Walker Contemporary, Boston,MA 2008

New Work, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis,TN 2008

New Work, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN 2007

Grover Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 2008

The Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2006, 2007

Muse, Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 2006

Portraits, Peter Miller Gallery, Chicago, IL 2005

The Gift of Dream, Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 2004

Daydream, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2004

New Work, Argazzi Art, Lakeville, CT 2004

Home, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN 2004

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 2004

Infant, Boy, Girl, Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 2003

Kinder, Anne Reed Gallery, Sun Valley, ID 2003

Children, Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland, OR 2003

Bloom, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2002

This Vision, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN 2002

Land in this Body, Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 2001

Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland, OR 2001

Erde, Anne Reed Gallery, Sun Valley, ID 2001

Winston Wachter Mayer Gallery, New York, NY 2001

James Gallery, Houston, TX 2001

From Within and Above, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2000

James Gallery, Houston, Texas 2000

University of Texas, San Marcos, Texas 2000

I Gather Myself Beneath Myself, Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 1999

Ledbetter Lusk Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee 1999

Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland, OR 1999

James Gallery, Houston, TX 1999

Anne Reed Gallery, Sun Valley, ID 1999

Jan Baum Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1999

Thoughts in the Night, Byron Cohen Gallery, Kansas City, MO 1998

Ledbetter Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN 1998

Nocturnes, The Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA 1998

Inside a Feathered Body, Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 1997

Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland, OR 1997

Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 1996

Unfolded in Stillness, Anne Reed Gallery, Ketchum, ID 1996

The Membrane of My Breath, Catharine Clark Gallery, SF, CA 1996

Botanical Vision, Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID 1996

The Garden Behind Closed Eyes, Ledbetter Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN 1996

Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland, OR 1996

Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 1995

Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1994

Cal State San Bernardino, University Art Gallery, San Bernardino, CA 1994

Oregon School of Arts & Crafts, Portland, OR 1994

Flower Anatomy, Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 1994

Works of Summer, Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1994

Invented Memory, Bush Barn Art Center, Salem, OR 1994

University of Alaska-Anchorage, Anchorage, AK 1994

Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1994

Pulliam Deffenbaugh Nugent Gallery, Portland, OR 1994

Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 1993

Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1993

Pulliam Deffenbaugh Nugent Gallery, Portland, OR 1993

Sorg Design, Berlin, Germany 1991

Light Band Gallery, Berlin, Germany 1991

Frank Wegener, Steuerberater, Berlin, Germany 1990

Hertin, Nordemann & Vinck, Berlin, Germany 1988

Cafe Ubersee, Berlin, Germany 1988

University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee 1987

Select Group Exhibitions

Believe in Magic  Antonio Colombo Gallery, Milan, Italy

Radical Kingdoms   Union College, Schenectady, NY

Her Story, Walker Contemporary, Boston, MA 2016

200 Years of Grimm Fairy Tales, Goethe Institute, San Francisco, CA 2012

Gallery Artists: Group Show, Grover Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 2012

Taste at Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA 2011

SUBstainability, Texas State University, Austin, TX 2011

A Debt to Pleasure, Massachusettes College of Art Gallery, MA 2011

Group Show, Sue Greenwood Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA 2011

Aqua Fair, Walker Contemporary, Miami, FL 2010

RUST-German American Artists, Sanchez Art Center, CA 2009

VISAGES:FACE REVISED,Rockford Art Museum,Rockford, IL 2009

20th Anniversary Group Show, The Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR 2006

Anne Reed Gallery, Ketchum, ID 2005

Reading Meaning: Word and Symbol in the Art of Squeak Cornwath,

   Leslie Dill, Leslie Anders Lee and Anne Siems,

   Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, Clairmont, CA 2004

Works on Paper, The Armory, New York, NY 1998

Director's Council Exhibit, Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN 1998

All Fired Up, Planned Parenthood Benefit, Ledbetter Lusk Gallery,

   Memphis, TN 1998

The Garden Show, PICA, Portland, OR 1997

Works on Paper, The Armory, New York, NY 1997

Out of Eden, The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Design,

   Kansas City, MO 1997

SAFECO Collection, Jundt Museum, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA 1997

Botanically Inspired: Geraldine Ondrizek & Anne Siems,

   Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT 1997

Memphis College of Art Biennial, Memphis College of Art, Memphis, TN 1997

Beeswax, Soil Gallery, Seattle WA 1997

Images That Make the Heart Murmur, Jan Baum Gallery, L.A., CA 1996

Tree as Icon, Ledbetter Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN 1996

Seventh National Juried Exhibition, Viridian, New York, NY 1996

A Collective Endeavor: Artfair Seattle 1992-1995, Seafirst Gallery,

   Seattle, WA 1996

Gardens: Primeval and Eternal, Delta Axis, Memphis, TN 1996

Paperworks, Cohen/Berkowitz Gallery, Kansas City, MO 1995

Open Space, Victoria, B.C. 1995

New Art '94, Kingston Gallery, Boston, MA 1994

Art Books, Morphos Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1994

Flora: Artist's Gardens, Hope Street Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1994

French & Siems, Pulliam Deffenbaugh Nugent, Portland, OR 1993

Botanic, Sean Elwood Fine Art, Seattle, WA 1993

Issues of Response: Collaboration Among Three People, Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland, WA 1993

Notes On Nature; The Last Acetate Show: Memorial to Red Spot, The Palladium, New York, NY 1992

Figure: 7, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA 1992

Northwest Juried Art: 1992, Cheney Cowles Museum, Spokane, WA 1992

Gallery Artists, Pulliam Deffenbaugh Nugent Gallery, Portland, OR 1992

Seattle Invitational, Security Pacific Gallery, Seattle, WA 1992

Grover/Thurston Gallery, Seattle, WA 1992

Silences Gallery, Seattle, WA 1991

O-HDK, Berlin, Germany 1990

FBK, Berlin, Germany 1990

Klasse Petrick Bei Siemens AG, Berlin, Germany 1998

 

Bibliograhy

"Reading Meaning: Word and Symbol in the Art of Squeak Cornwath,

  Leslie Dill, Leslie Anders Lee and Anne Siems", Scripps College, Claremont, CA 2004

Updike, Robin."New work explores psyche." Seattle Times. June 3, 1999

Josslin, Victoria. "Painters analyze identity through botany." Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 25, 1999

Bonansinga, Kate. New Art Examiner. June 1999

Updike, Robin. Seattle Times. September 1997

Updike, Robin. Seattle Times. May 1996

Smith, Tracy. Art in America. October 1996

The Oregonian. January 20, 1995

ARTnews. December 1994

REFLEX. March/April, 1994

Laurence, Michael. Visions. Spring, 1994

Adamson, Loch. The New Art Examiner. May 1994

Lave, Rebecca. Willamette Week. June 1994

Cowan, Ron. Statesman Journal. June 3, 1994

Spiegel, Judith. Artscene. October 1993

Select Publications & Reviews

Collections

​Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AK

 

 

Corporate Collections

American Airlines, Seattle, WA

Benziger Winery, Benziger Imagery Series, Sangiovese Chianti

Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID

Bullivant Houser Bailey

Fidelity Investments

Harry Connick, Jr.

Hallmark Collection, New York, NY

Irene Mahler Fine Art, Seattle, WA

Microsoft Collection, Redmond, WA

Mueller Design Inc.

Nestle USA, Glendale, CA

Nordstrom

Oregon Health and Science University, OR

Safeco Collection, Seattle, WA

Seattle University, WA

Sonoma State University Art Collection, Rohnert Park, CA

Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA

Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA

University Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

 

Awards

OCAC 90th Anniversary, Residency, Portland, OR 1997

Neddy Award Nominee, Seattle, WA 1996

Alice Rooney NW Women Artists Stipend for Pilchuck Glass School 1995

Artquake, Juror Ned Rifkin, 1st Prize, Drawing, Portland, OR 1994