"BITE"
Laura Russo Gallery
Portland, OR
Opens Aug 1st- August 29
Artist Talk August 17th
It’s been a full two years since my last show at Russo Lee Gallery and in some ways I feel like I have come full circle.
My last show “ Essence” was developed at a time where I was so completely overwhelmed by our new presidency and all that shifted in its aftermath, that all I managed to retain from my former work were the faces. The intense feelings I had could no longer be expressed in gossamer hoop dresses and bucolic flora and fauna.
When I say, “I have come full circle”, I mean I have returned to a place where the figure is front and center once again. The plants and animals have returned, as well. The focus now is on the young women in their 20s and 30s who are leading with their sharp intelligence, their bite, their self-confidence and the inherent beauty therein.
They are the ones within the movement of #metoo, #blacklivesmatter, #intersectionality, #mybodymychoice, #climatejustice, and #thenewgreendeal are giving me hope for the future.
They are the ones who I hope to vote into the White House for many years to come.
In representing a new, wider circle of ethnicities, I am steering away from being self referential. In my own work and the discovery of my ignorance, I feel compelled to continue my education and seeing that expressed through my art.
And last but not least -this body of work was a lot of fun!
Anne Siems 2019
