Anna Davis-Artists in Action Gallery
Artist Biography:
Anna Davis is a multimedia digital artist and photographer currently residing in Salem. Her art explores themes of femininity, sexuality and motherhood in relation to culture, society, and current politics. She is also exploring the practice of Art as a way of life and a tool for social justice. Anna holds an MFA degree from Washington State University and an BFA from Western New Mexico University.
She works with the Salem Art Association to organize the Salem Art Fair, serves on the board Artists in Action, and teaching digital art and drawing at Chemeketa Community College and Western Oregon University. In her free time, she is planning the upcoming artistic uprising (any day now).
Selected Exhibitions and Residencies:
*Something Red 2023 Salem OR
*Vintage to Glass 2023 Residency, Dundee Hotel, Dundee OR
*Artist in Residence aboard the Sv. Puelche 2023
*Winter Light Group Show 2022 Salem OR
*By Another Sense-non-visual art Group Show 2019 Salem OR
*Cabinet of Curiosities Installation 2019 Salem OR
*Ephemera Found Object Window Installation 2018 Martin’s Antiques, Salem OR
*One Million Bones Installation 2017 Silver City, NM
*Call of Cthulu Group Show 2017 Salem OR
*It must be her my fault MFA Thesis Show 2015 Pullman WA
*Travelling Kitty 2012-Present curated by Gabriel Fernandez, 2015 Pullman WA
*Cherriots Bus Stop Paint In 2015 Installation Salem OR
*Lecture Disruptions 2015 Collaboration w/ Adan de la Garza, Pullman WA
*Drawings 2015 Palouse Books, Moscow
&Relatively Flat 2013 Dengerink Administration Gallery, Vancouver, WA
*Singularity ISEA 2012, Santa Fe NM
*Feminese Installation 2012 Chashama Gallery, New York NY & Anita’s Way-Times Square, New York NY
Artist Statement:
In my studio practice I merge traditional craft and analog practices with cutting-edge software and coding. I explore seemingly contradictory concepts, such as how technology accelerates biodiversity loss but also holds the key to restoration. This fusion has become a fundamental aspect of my creative expression. The process of making the art and the materials used are as important to me as the concept being explored and the end result.
Most recently my work has focused on the history of sailing, women sailors, queer identity, celestial navigation, and knit sweaters as metaphors for personal journeys. In 2023 I spent two weeks as the Ships Artist aboard the SV Puelche, connecting with women sailors, queer captains, and traditional boat makers. I’ve been playing with a series exploring biblical women and religious iconography. I’ve also returned to the traditional darkroom and have been exploring alternative processand cameraless photography, and I am excited about the potential of AI as an art making tool. Thru it all, film photography remains my one true first love, and always finds its way into my work eventually
