ARTIST STATEMENT
Guided by both humor and fear, my artistic practice is the embodiment of the trauma, excursion, and ritual my disabled body endures now as an adult, as well as the struggles I faced in both childhood and adolescence as an undiagnosed autistic. In addition to exploring my disability, I frequently examine sexuality and gender in my work. Specifically, I draw from my own paranoia surrounding puberty, sexual maturity, and the idea of relationships as viewed by a young, unrealized, non-binary person growing up in a conservative town.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Roethler attended the University of Northern Iowa, where they received their Bachelor’s in Fine Arts. Their work heavily focuses on hand-sewn sculptures and the incorporation of recycled, impermanent material. The subtext of Roethler’s work draws heavily on the “Coming of age” narrative, feminist theory, and internal/external terror. Roethler’s work has been exhibited in several locations such as, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson VT; The Dubuque Museum of Art; Dubuque IA, The Pumphouse; LaCrosse WI. They received the Guillaume Grant in 2019 and was featured in the August 2023 issue of SuboArt Magazine as well as, “The Body Revolts, The Body Aligns”, released via The Starving Artist Studio in 2024.
© Meg Roethler