Anna U Davis

Anna U Davis
Davis in her studio in Washington, D.C.
Born1975 (age 50–51)
Lund, Sweden
EducationUniversity of the District of Columbia (BA, 2002)
Known forPainting, Mixed media, Collage

Anna U Davis (born 1975) is a Swedish-American visual artist based in Washington, D.C. Her work frequently depicts gray-toned figures she refers to as "Frocasians", which have been discussed by critics in relation to race, gender, and identity. Davis has exhibited at venues including the Swedish American Museum in Chicago, House of Sweden in Washington, D.C., and Davis Gallery in Copenhagen.

Early life and education

Anna U Davis was born in Lund, Sweden, in 1975.[1][2] She is based in Washington, D.C.[3] She studied painting at the University of the District of Columbia, where she was a student of artist Manon Cleary, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002.[4]

Artistic style

Davis works primarily in mixed-media paintings that combine acrylic paint, ink, cut paper, pumice, and appliqué textiles.[5][6] Her compositions frequently feature gray-toned figures she refers to as "Frocasians". Reviews and interviews have described these figures as addressing themes of race, gender, and identity.[1][7] Writing in Washington City Paper, Stephanie Rudig described Davis's work as depicting female figures in surreal scenarios that engage themes of race and gender.[8] In an interview with IA&A at Hillyer, Davis cited Frida Kahlo, Keith Haring, Romare Bearden, and Antoni Gaudí as influences on her work.[9]

Career

Road to Recovery is a series developed by Davis in response to her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The works depict gray-toned figures and reference illness and recovery.[10] A review from The Washington Post described the series as addressing experiences related to illness and recovery through figurative imagery.[11] Davis appeared on the SVT program Sverige! in an episode broadcast in August 2019.[12] In 2020, the journal Feminist Studies published a feature titled "Anna U. Davis: An Introduction" about Davis’s work.[13]

Davis has held solo exhibitions in the United States and Europe, including at Brentwood Arts Exchange in Maryland,[11] the House of Sweden in Washington, D.C.,[14] and Davis Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark.[15] Works by Davis are held in public collections including the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank.[16] Davis has participated in international group exhibitions, including the 13th Havana Biennial in Cuba[17] and Women of the Pandemic at Katara Cultural Village in Doha, Qatar.[18]

Selected solo exhibitions

  • 2024 – Road to Recovery, Brentwood Arts Exchange, Brentwood, Maryland.[11]
  • 2021 – Reality Check, Swedish American Museum, Chicago.[6]
  • 2017–2018 – Witnesses, House of Sweden, Washington, D.C.[14]
  • 2018 – Damsels in Distress: Black Edge Wall Sculptures, Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore.[19]

Awards and residencies

  • Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (2021)[20][21]
  • Swatch Art Peace Hotel Residency, Shanghai, China (2023)[22]

Collections

  • DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection[16]

References

  1. ^ a b "Anna U Davis and Carolina Falkholt in Conversation at House of Sweden". East City Art. 4 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Frocasians: Moving Beyond Social Construct". Artsy. 28 September 2018.
  3. ^ Jenkins, Mark (July 26, 2012). "Art galleries focus on less-pretty aspects of nature". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
  4. ^ "Manon Cleary, 1942–2011". Washington City Paper. 28 November 2011.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Mark (11 February 2022). "Where to see art gallery shows in the Washington region". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ a b "A Dynamic View of Social Justice Issues". Third Coast Review. 4 September 2021.
  7. ^ Jenkins, Mark (2 July 2015). "In the galleries: Anything but simplicity in these drawings". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ Rudig, Stephanie (21 September 2016). "The People Issue 2016". Washington City Paper.
  9. ^ "Reality Check: Interview with featured artist Anna U Davis and Tim Brown, Hillyer Director". IA&A at Hillyer. 22 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Beyond chemo: Cancer patients, survivors take up paintbrushes to heal". The Washington Post. 5 July 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Jenkins, Mark (10 May 2024). "Art gallery shows in the D.C. area". The Washington Post.
  12. ^ "Sverige! – Saga Becker och lundastudenten som greps av Stasi". SVT Play (in Swedish). Sveriges Television (SVT). 24 August 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  13. ^ Weiss, Ellyn (2020). "Anna U. Davis: An Introduction". Feminist Studies. 46 (1): 108–127. doi:10.15767/feministstudies.46.1.0108.
  14. ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (1 March 2018). "In the galleries: Six artists go deep into the weeds". The Washington Post.
  15. ^ "Tidens pointer skåret ud og til". Kunstavisen. 2023.
  16. ^ a b "DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection". DC Arts.
  17. ^ "Building Bridges II: The Politics of Love, Identity and Race". Galerie Myrtis. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  18. ^ "Katara to showcase works by eight Qatari, American female artists throughout March". The Peninsula. 1 March 2022.
  19. ^ "A Thousand Paper Cuts". BmoreArt. 13 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Pollock-Krasner Foundation Announces 2020–21 Grants". Pollock-Krasner Foundation. 22 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Pollock-Krasner Foundation Awards $3.35 Million in Grants to Artists and Nonprofits". Artforum. 22 June 2021.
  22. ^ "Anna U Davis". Swatch Art Peace Hotel.
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