Bio
Anne Garvey is a contemporary visual artist based in the SF Bay Area, California. Her work represents both the inner and outer realities of human existence. With a strong sense of connection between body and mind, Garvey incorporates her interest in mental states such as anxiety, hope, anticipation, and despair. Her continued work with youth and victims of trauma further influence these themes, with cords, yarn, branches, and other objects serving as metaphors for thought processes and problem solving.
Garvey describes the act of physically painting as cathartic, for herself as well as the viewer, creating tangles that will never be solved. In doing so, we are reminded of the almost constant battles we face within ourselves, while recognizing the shared commonality of those challenges.
A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute and Saint Mary’s College, Garvey has exhibited, taught, and collaborated with fellow artists for the past decade. Exhibitions have included Axis Gallery in Sacramento, LA Art Core in Los Angeles, and Root Division in San Francisco. Her work has been published in Memoir Magazine, the Twirl Project, and the Racket Journal. In addition, Garvey has participated in residencies such as the Hoi An Orphanage in Vietnam, Midway Gallery in San Francisco, and the North Street Collective in Willits, California.
Artist Statement
My artwork explores anxiety, trauma, and resilience, through paintings and sculptural installations. I use tangles of common objects as metaphors for states of mind, encouraging viewers to reflect on our shared struggles. I find beauty in the instinctual human urge to solve problems, even when answers are impossible to find.
The hanging sculptures incorporate source materials from previous works—yarn, ribbon, and string—creating a psychological kelp forest. Within these forms, I weave journal and calendar pages, torn and reassembled into strips that become unreadable and no longer chronological.
My current body of work turns back on itself, using the sculptural forms as live sources for new paintings. Working in this way I hope to represent the self-reflective process as well as a cathartic experience for viewers, and extend the possibilities for deeper, psychological connections on a human-to-human level.
CV
Education
MA, Teaching, Saint Mary’s College of California
Single Subject Teaching Credential, Visual Art, Saint Mary’s College of California
BFA, Painting, San Francisco Art Institute
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Keep It Together, Manna Gallery, Oakland
2023 Blooms of Jeweled Seaweed, (2 person exhibit) Midway Gallery, San Francisco
2022 Under Water, The InsideOut Project, Sacramento
2022 Recent Work, LilleAeske Arthouse, Boulder Creek, California
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 Made in Richmond, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, Ca
2025 10xTen Womens’ Exhibition, Faultline Gallery, Oakland
2022 Material Handling, Axis Gallery, Sacramento
2021 Brand 49: National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, Glendale, California
16th National Juried Exhibition, Axis Gallery, Sacramento
2020 10xTen, Faultline Artspace, Oakland
De Young Open, De Young Museum, San Francisco
Methods of Negotiation, ArtMusicLit Space
2019 Art Shop 2019 Exhibit, Adobe Books Backroom Gallery, San Francisco
Annual 12” x 12”, Cabrillo Gallery, Aptos, California
Shifting Perspectives on Trauma (The Perception Project), Castelli Gallery, Los Angeles
GIFC Worldwide, 1st Amendment Gallery, San Francisco and Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland
Made in California, Brea Art Gallery, Brea, California
2018 Annual 12x12, Cabrillo Gallery, Aptos, California
13th National Juried Exhibition, Axis Gallery, Sacramento
Art in Neighborhoods (ArtSpan), Mission Bowling Club, San Francisco
2017 Group Show, Ale Industries, Oakland
Heart is Oakland, Classic Cars West, Oakland
2016 Art of the Toy, Arts Benicia, Benicia
Order and Chaos, Arts Benicia, Benicia
2nd Annual Competition and Exhibition, L.A. Artcore, Los Angeles
Chaos, Arc Gallery, San Francisco
2015 Group Show, Art Education Center, San Leandro
2014 Tell Tale, Hive Gallery, Oakland
2013 Faculty Show, Art Education Center, San Leandro
2012 Anne Garvey: Recent Work, Piedmont Wines, Oakland
2010 Invisible City Audio Tours: “Heliography”, Keys That Fit and Royal Nonesuch Galleries, Oakland
2009 Embracing Spirit, Mocha Art Gallery, Oakland
2008 Compounded, The Compound Gallery, Oakland
Under 100, Root Division, San Francisco
2007 Complacency, Balazo 18, San Francisco
Group Show: Ilhyung Cho, Eric Reyes, and Anne Garvey, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco
2006 SFAI Now, Red Ink Studios, San Francisco
Residencies
2023 The Midway Gallery, San Francisco
2019 North Street Collective, Willits, CA
2006-2010 Museum of Children's Art, Oakland, Oakland public schools, K-12
2006-2008 San Francisco Arts Education Project, San Francisco public schools, K-5
2006 Hoi An Orphanage and Recreation Center, Hoi An, Vietnam
2006 Saint Vincent de Paul Women and Children's Center, West Oakland
Publications
Independent Review, Loose Threads Untangled by Robin Lapid, 2024 https://reviews.newhavenindependent.org/reviews/anne_garvey
The Racket Journal, Issue #60, https://theracketsf.com/home/theracketjournal60
Twirl, a Decade of Artist Interviews, http://www.twirlproject.com/
Memoir Magazine, artwork featured with Splinters by Brigid Hughes, 2018 https://memoirmag.com/memoir/splinters-brigid-hughes/