As Women’s History Month approaches in March, PRG welcomes an exhibition of new paintings from Anne Siems. Celebrated for her explorations of the human spirit through beautifully rendered figures with abstract layered backgrounds, Siems paints with eloquence and mastery that is a testament to her range as an artist.

For the last several years, Siems has been focused on depictions of women in unabashed and powerful postures. These women have been covered in tattoos as a signal of their inner wildness, a sense of mythical belonging, and rites of passage. Siems’ figures always have something to say, of freedom, of deep connection to the universe, of expression, of politics, of the times we live in.

This exhibition marks another transformative turn in Siems’ subject matter, this time turning toward children and the experience of youth. Perhaps in reflection of her own experiences of motherhood, and those of other women, it is almost inevitable to (re)discover the inner child. Siems says:

Wild Child connects me back to a series of paintings that I created mostly from 2007 to 2016, in which children are the main characters. For this exhibition, I have absorbed myself with the inner child first and foremost. One of the members of my inner family. What are they telling me? What are they sensing? What wisdom do they possess? How can I care for and nurture them? Their favorite environment is nature– the all-healing place; the inner sacred garden; a place in which, as an adult, I find deep healing and comfort in my daily life and is in such close reach to my home in Seattle. Symbols of dreams, fairy tales, and my childhood also play a significant role.

Repeating elements like roller skates, headphones, and camping gear, bridge time from childhood to the present day as both fond memories and current hobbies. Siems notes that the process of painting leads her to these discoveries as if these moments find her rather than show up as conscious artistic choices. A dedicated activist in her personal life, Siems uses her platform as an artist to highlight the state of the world, how she senses it, understands it, and ultimately, how she creates beauty from it.

Anne Siems was born in Berlin, spent formative years in Buenos Aires, and later attended the University of the South in Tennessee. After completing her MFA at the Hochschule der Kunste in Berlin, Siems settled in Seattle and now splits her time between Seattle and Berlin.