Anna U. Davis – Biography
Early Life and Background
Anna U. Davis (born 1975 in Lund, Sweden) is a mixed-media artist known for bold, colorful works that explore social inequalities . She moved to Washington, D.C. in the 1990s, a transition that marked the expansion of her artistic practice. In Washington she pursued formal art studies, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art (summa cum laude) from the University of the District of Columbia in 2002. Davis has since made Washington, D.C. her home base, while garnering international attention for her distinctive style and socially conscious themes.
Signature "Frocasian" Style
One of Davis’s most notable contributions is her development of “Frocasian” figures – a signature style born out of her personal background and ideals. Davis began creating these figures before moving to D.C., inspired by her own interracial marriage and a deep belief in social justice. Through these Frocasian figures, Davis expresses themes of unity and equality, using their neutral presence to challenge viewers’ perceptions of race and identity in a visually striking way.
Themes and Techniques
In subject matter, Davis’s artwork engages pressing social themes, particularly gender dynamics and inequality. She draws upon a fascination with gender relations, sexuality, and social power structures, internalizing these influences to comment on broader issues of justice and empowerment. This feminist and socio-political thread runs through much of her work, often manifested in narratives that critique stereotypes or highlight imbalances in society.
Technically, Davis’s practice has evolved from traditional painting into a complex mixed-media approach. What began as hard-edged acrylic painting in her early career has expanded into compositions layered with diverse materials. Her pieces frequently combine acrylic paint with hand-cut paper collage, textile appliqué, and intricate pen-and-ink drawing, resulting in dense, textured surfaces that are rich in detail. This multimedia technique amplifies the graphic, rhythmic quality of her imagery, and Davis often uses bold patterns and repetition to reinforce her themes. The meticulous craftsmanship – from cutting paper elements by hand to sewing fabrics onto canvas – underscores the personal investment and message in each work, melding form and content into a distinctive artistic voice.
Exhibitions and Collections
Davis has an extensive exhibition record, with notable solo shows across the United States and abroad. Recent solo exhibitions include the Swedish American Museum in Chicago, Galerie Myrtis in Baltimore, the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C., and Davis Gallery in Copenhagen. Her work has also been featured in prominent group exhibitions and international art events. For example, Davis participated in the 13th Havana Biennial in Cuba (2019), presenting work that echoed her themes of inclusion and social critique on a global stage. She has additionally shown in Europe and Qatar, among other locales, reflecting the broad reach of her art. Davis’s artwork resides in numerous public and private collections, underscoring its impact and appeal. Publicly, her pieces have been acquired for the Swatch Art Peace Hotel permanent collection and the DC Government Art Bank in Washington, D.C.. Her art is also held in corporate and institutional collections, as well as in distinguished private collections throughout the U.S. and Europe. Notably, collector the late Dorothy Lichtenstein (widow of artist Roy Lichtenstein) is among those who own works by Davis, a testament to the esteem her work commands. These placements in collections ensure that Davis’s art continues to engage diverse audiences outside the traditional gallery setting.
Grants and Fellowships
Davis’s contributions have been recognized with significant grants and fellowships that have supported and honored her creative work. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (awarded in 2015 and 2021), a merit-based award given to outstanding visual artists. Davis has also earned multiple grants and artist fellowships from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, reflecting strong support from the arts community in Washington; these include project grants and Arts & Humanities Fellowships spanning from 2011 through 2025. In addition, she received an Emergency Grant from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation in 2013, further acknowledging the importance and promise of her practice. Such funding and accolades have enabled Davis to deepen her ambitious mixed-media projects and continue addressing social themes through her art.
Honors and Recognitions
Throughout her career, Davis has garnered honors that highlight her influence in both art and academic spheres. In 2020, her artwork was featured on the cover of the academic journal Feminist Studies (Issue 46.1), accompanied by an artist’s essay—an acknowledgment that highlights the powerful alignment of her visual work with contemporary feminist discourse. She has also been invited to share her insights in high-profile public forums. In 2023, Davis spoke on a panel about art and female empowerment at the Hirshhorn Museum’s State of the Arts Night in Washington, D.C. . This invitation to the Hirshhorn – a leading modern art museum – underscores her role as an important voice on gender and empowerment in the arts. Together, these recognitions illustrate how Anna U. Davis’s work not only enriches gallery walls but also contributes meaningfully to conversations about equality, identity, and the power of art in society.
CV
Anna U Davis
b. 1975, Lund, Sweden
Lives and works in Washington DC
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor Degree of Arts, Studio Art, Summa Cum Laude,
The University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
1995 Studies in Practical Philosophy, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 TBD, Swedish American Museum, Chicago, IL (January - April)
2019 Take it Personal -Anna U Davis and Ola Kalnins, Bredgade Kunsthandel, Copenhagen,
Denmark
2018 Frocasian: Moving Beyond Social Constructs, Artist Proof, Washington DC
Damsels in Distress, Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore, MD
2017 - 2018 Witnesses, House of Sweden (Embassy of Sweden), Washington DC
2016 Anna U Davis - Going Big @ Dacha, Dacha Loft, Washington DC
2012 Pop-up, Gallery at Bloombars, Washington, DC
2011 A Work in Progress, Wip Gallery at Artisphere, Arlington, VA
2010 The Dance before the Kill, Long View Gallery, Washington, DC
2009 Bull’s-Eye, Long View Gallery, Washington, DC
2008 New Work, Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC
2006 Sashimi Me, Studio One Eight, Washington, DC
2004 Frocasians, Gallery Neptune, Bethesda, MD
2003 New Work, Aroma, Washington, DC
2002 Untitled, Gallery 42, Washington, DC
2001 10 x 12, Kramerbooks, Washington, DC
1999 Anna Edholm, Aroma, Washington DC
1997 New Work, Galleri Ariman, Lund, Sweden
1997 New Work, Mejeriet Gallery, Lund , Sweden
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 DG2020 at Alys Beach, curated by Iddris Sandu, Ariel Adkins, Fallon Young, Evan
Narcisse, and Brett Phares (May)
2020 SHIFT Online Exhibition, McLean Projects for the Arts, McLean, VA, curated by Henry L. Thaggert
2019 Where Have We Been, Center for the Arts Gallery, Towson University, Towson, MD, curated by Dr
Erin Lehman and Dr. J. Susan Isaacs
Building Bridges: The Politics of Love, Identity and Race II, Galeria Carmen Montilla,
Havana Biennial,Havana, Cuba
2018 Entitled, 3rd Floor Gallery, Washington DC, curated by Molly Ruppert
More or Less, Hemphill, Washington DC
2017 Oh Say, Can You See? Emigre Artist In America, Charles Krause / Reporting Fine
Art, Washington DC
One Year Later, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, Hyattsville, MD
2016 Consumption: Food as Paradox, Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore, MD
Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program Visual Arts Exhibition, I Street
Galleries, Washington, DC
2015 These Mirrors Are Not Boxes, VisArts, Rockville, MD, curated by Kayleigh N.
Bryant-Greenwell
Pulse15, Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC
2014 Emergence: International Artist to Watch, Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore, MD,
curated by Sharon Burton, Robert Devereux, Deana Haggag, and Makgati
Molebatsi
Untitled, Gallery OneTwentyEight, New York, NY
Art Crimes, The Dunes, Washington, DC
2013 Holiday Popsicle, Gallery OneTwentyEight, New York, NY, curated by Kazuko
Miyamoto
Crowns, The Fridge, Washington, DC, curated by Zoma Wallace
Fear Strikes Back, Fine Art Gallery, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, curated by Helen
Fredericks
Art Romp, Anacostia Art Center, Washington DC, curated by Molly Ruppert
Fear Strikes Back, DCAC, Washington, DC, curated by Helen Fredericks
The Gun Show, The Dunes, Washington, DC
The Newtown Projects: A Call to Arms, Charles Krause/ Reporting Fine
Art, Washington, DC
2012 ARTpocalypse, The Dunes, Washington DC, curated by Dana Ellyn
Companion, 39 Street Gallery, Brentwood, MD
Artist Fellowship, I Street Gallery, Washington, DC
Untitled No.3, Randall Scott Projects, Washington, DC
Anniversary Exhibition, Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC
Zeitgeist III: Too Much Information, District of Columbia Art Center,
Washington, DC
Tight Fit, The Dunes, Washington, DC
2010 Synergy, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Party Crashers: Comic Book Culture Invades the Art World, Terrace Gallery at Artisphere,
Arlington, VA, curated by Cynthia Connolly
11 x 51: 2011 Artist Fellowship Program, The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts
Gallery at Smith Farm Center, Washington, DC
Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation presents THE ARTISAN SERIES,ational Visions, Washington,
DC
2009 What’s Important Now?, Nevin Kelly Gallery, Washington, DC
Stimulus, Nevin Kelly Gallery, Washington, DC, curated by Nevin Kelly
Life Essentials, Art Whino, National Harbor, MD
2008 20 x 20, Art17, Washington, DC, curated by Sondra N. Arkin
Under Surveillance, Nevin Kelly Gallery, Washington, DC, curated by Sondra N. Arkin and Ellyn
Weiss
Peace Now!, Warehouse Gallery, Washington, DC
DC Green heArt Exhibit, Lofts 11, Washington, DC
Rapture, Ecstasy & Bliss, BFC Studio B, Washington, DC
2007 Artist Collaboration, Art Whino, Alexandria, VA
Art in Heat, Warehouse Gallery, Washington, DC, curated by Scott Brooks and Jared Davis
Urbanity, Randall Scott Gallery, Washington, DC
2006 Art of War, Studio One Eight, Washington, DC
Stretched Tight, Target Gallery, Alexandria, VA, curated by Jack Rasmussen
Cupidity, Gallery Neptune, Bethesda, MD
2005 YWCA Voices Art Exhibit, Edison Place Gallery, Washington, DC, curated by Cristena Hambrick
1460 Wall Mountables, District of Columbia Arts Center, Washington, DC
2004 TFAC @ 30: A Juror’s Choice, Target Gallery, Alexandria, VA,
curated by Hester Stinnett, Dean of Tyler School of Art in
Philadelphia
The Influences of Curious George, Gallery Neptune, Bethesda, MD Torpedo Factory Art Center
Members Show, Target Gallery, Alexandria, VA
2003 ART/Silver; 25 Years of art from the University of the District of
Columbia, Martin Luther King, JR Library, Washington, DC
2000 International Expressions, Watermark Gallery, Baltimore, MD
curated by Manzar Rassouli-Taylor
International Artist Support Group; Spring around the world, Courtyard Galleries, Baltimore City
Hall, Baltimore, MD
Under the Influence: Manon Cleary and Her Student- A Retrospective, Rockville Arts Place,
Rockville, MD
ArtTromp, The Warehouse Gallery, Washington, DC
GRANTS, AWARDS, RESIDENCIES
2020 Show award winner - SHIFT Online Exhibition, McLean Projects for the Arts, McLean, VA,
curated by Henry L. Thaggert
2019 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Projects Events and Festivals (Individuals)
2018 The Influence Nation Summit, National Geographic Society, Washington DC
2015-2016
Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant, New York, NY
2013 Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation,
Emergency Assistance Grant, New York, NY
2019 -2013, 2011
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Arts and Humanities Fellowship
Program (Individuals), Washington, DC
2011 Live drawing/painting at Wip Gallery at Artisphere, Arlington, VA
2006 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Young Artist Program, Washington, DC
PUBLIC LECTURES
2018 Artist talk, Damsels in Distress, Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore, MD
Featured Speaker, Vital Voices: 2018 Global Mentoring Walk in Washington, DC,
House of Sweden, Washington DC
2017 Artist talk with Carolina Falkholt, Embassy of Sweden, Washington DC
Artist talk, Road to Recovery, Embassy of Sweden, Washington DC
2016 Artist talk, Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore, MD
2011 Artist talk, Artisphere, Rosslyn, VA
2006 Artist talk, Studio One Eight, Washington, DC
SELECTED PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Permanent Collection, DC Government Art Bank, Washington, DC
Dacha Loft, Washington, DC
House on the Hill Studio, Lilla Uppåkra, Sweden
The University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
American Humanistic Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership, Washington, DC
GCH Endowment to Promote Quality Early Childhood Education, Washington, DC
Madam’s Organ, Washington, DC
Spyken, Lund, Sweden
Dorothy Lichtenstein, New York (NY) / Southampton (NY)
David Lichtenstein and Jennifer Moore, Berkeley (CA)
Richard Gould and Lena Skanby, Bethesda (MD)
Brenda and Steffen Jacobsen, Washington DC
Sandra Taylor, Washington DC / San Francisco (CA)
Steffen and Brenda Jacobsen, Washington DC
David Furchgott and Fetneh Askari Fleischmann, Washington DC
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2020
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2018
Capps, Kriston. “At Hemphill Fine Arts, The Past, Present and Future of Abstraction,” Washington City Paper, May 24, 2018
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BMORE Lifestyle, FOX 45, segment about artist Anna U Davis, aired 01/04/18
2017
http://blogg.kulturdep.se/kulturradsbloggen/arssammanfattning-fran-washington-d-c/
15 december, 2017
Aubert, Amy. “Breast cancer survivor shares journey through art,”
http://wjla.com/news/local/breast-cancer-survivor-shares-journey-through-art. ABC7 News, Thursday, October 26, 2017
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PUBLICERAD: 17 OKTOBER, 2017 KL 17:40
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Jenkins, Mark. “In the galleries: Synthetic consumer products prove to be a natural medium: Émigré Artists”https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/in-the-galleries-synthetic-consumer-products-prove-to-be-a-natural-medium/2017/08/03/6f3a0a68-75ad-11e7-8c17-533c52b2f014_story.html?utm_term=.1a144ae6d073, August 3, 2017
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2016
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Schmelzer, Elise. “Beyond chemo: Cancer patients, survivors take up paintbrushes to heal.” Washington Post: July 5, 2016, http://www.niagara-gazette.com/cnhi_network/cancer-patients-employ-a-brushstroke-of-creativity-to-overcome-chemo/article_fa066977-8a95-57fc-bc43-fc9dff165f5c.html
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2015
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2013
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2012
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2011
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2010
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2009
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2008
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2006
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2005
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2000
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RELATED PROFESSIONAL ART EXPERIENCE
2017 - Hillyer Art Space Advisory Board
2013 28th Mayor’s Art Award judge panelist - DC Commission on the Arts and
Humanities, Washington, DC
Member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts