Opening Soon at Grove Gallery: “Playing Possum,” Work by Anja Notanja Sieger

(Milwaukee)— On Friday, January 17th, 5-9pm and Saturday, January 18th, 12-4pm, a show of intricate paper cuttings by Anja Notanja Sieger will debut at Grove Gallery in Walker’s Point. Just as possums simultaneously access both living and deceased realities when threatened, at Playing Possum, you’ll view life and death at the same time through these positive / negative silhouettes. Present will be large single sheets of paper sliced so finely by knives that they resemble woodcuts and shadow puppets that have appeared in local theater productions—both in raw paper form and as individual solar prints.

Sieger’s influences include the possibly-dead-possibly-alive creatures she sees on her walks. “One night I watched a possum amble into the weeds. It had clumpy, uneven fur. When I moved by it, it just froze in place,” describes Sieger. “A couple days later I saw that possum in the middle of the street looking very dead—or was it? I’ll never know but it got me thinking about how closely possums study death.”

Sieger will be at the gallery during open hours on February 15th to offer “Voices of The Animal Kingdom” alongside friends: comedian Becca Segal, performance artist Kirsten Meier, biologist Emma Kraco, and Iowa typewriter poet Andrea Becker. Each will represent an animal species and provide insightful prose inspired by a study of that creature. Please arrive with a question and a donation to receive the typewritten thoughts of animals.

On February 22nd, the closing day of Playing Possum, there will be a free 3 PM shadow puppet and poetry performance. The spectacle will feature performances by participants from the Shadow Puppetry & Poetry Workshop held in the gallery earlier that day. The workshop costs $25 and includes all supplies. Sign up for the workshop here.

GALLERY NIGHT & DAY: Friday, January 17th, 2024, 5-9 PM & Saturday, January 18th, 2025 12-4 PM

CLOSING: Saturday, February 22nd, 12-4 PM

FEBRUARY 15th: “Voices of The Animal Kingdom,” a typewriter poetry performance, 12-4 PM.

SHADOW PUPPET WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCE: Saturday, February 22nd with a 1pm Workshop and 3pm Performance.

Link to images of show. 

Grove Gallery is open to the public, noon-4pm on Saturdays. The show will close on February 22nd.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.