ARTIST BIO
Megan Cary was born in Bowling Green, KY, and lives in Seattle, WA and produces her latest work under the alias "Meat." She has been an Interior Designer with IKEA since 2023 and currently holds bachelor's degrees in both Architectural Science and Visual Studies from Western Kentucky University. She's obsessed with anachronism, hauntology, and all things related to legacy media. While her early work responded to natural cycles, her contemporary work responds to a perceived loss of identity and the replacement of authenticity with artificiality.
Studying sculpture in conjunction with architecture has informed Megan on principles of design and allowed her to establish a career that exists outside of the gallery space. She's in your home, she's at your work, and she is working to revive authentic experiences for the general public.
Megan’s work has been featured in juried shows and club events through WKU and the League of Sculptors respectively. She has created installation art pieces on WKU's campus and at the Downing Museum and Baker Arboretum. In 2018, her collaborative short film titled “The Thang” was featured at the ‘Nightmares Film Fest’ in Columbus, Ohio.
ARTIST STATEMENT (legacy)
The natural processes of growth, transformation, and decay occur in almost every facet of life from organic to synthetic. I’ve been thinking a lot about the cycles present around me. Through studies in the development of towns and cities, I feel compelled to create works that deal with urban expansion and the resulting impacts. My work explores this concept through an anthropological lens. As humans, we use culture as a component of self-identification. I'm seeking to understand these cycles and the impacts they have on our identity.
I enjoy exploring the themes of my work through unusual methods. As a multidisciplinary designer working with art, architecture, and interior design - aesthetics and sensory perception are the driving force behind my compositions. Atmosphere is used to engage the audience through their senses. Our senses are important: it's how we interact with our world. Lighting, color, sound, and composition are all taken into consideration to create an experience for the audience. I invite viewers of my work to question their own perspectives and speculate about processes around them.
What's next?
Currently Megan is researching and studying for an upcoming series that will focus on combining digital and traditional art techniques via 3D printing, digital painting, plastic casting, and other experimental processes. It will reflect her current thoughts on societal trends and address the issues surrounding late-capitalism and authenticity.