Megan Sterling

I thought I would feel something (II)
Screenpring Monotype
30 x 36 in.

My work has recently become figurative, focusing specifically on the point of contact of hands and feet to explore expansive aspects of liminal space, longing and confrontation of the body. I am interested in utilizing gesture and implied pressure (or lack thereof) to generate a physical tension that transcends to the psychological. I utilize art historical references, scale and space to create suggestive scenarios to challenge the viewer’s assumptions and expectations, often causing initial impressions to be shifted by the peculiar suggestions of the fragmented limbs. Concentration on the disembodied limbs is significant in proposing conflicting functions as anonymous yet strangely personified and individual.

Duality is often an undercurrent in my work. Here it is employed both by the gesture of playful or lifeless; supporting or relinquishing; supplication or applause – as well as the way the drawings are rendered, from highly finished to rough outline, giving them a sense of presence yet absence; comfort yet tension; contact (or implied contact) yet longing.

It is my hope that these elements resonate with the viewer on a physical as well as psychological level, providing questions to everyone’s answer and encouraging the reconsideration of assumptions and histories that may lead to understanding.

© Megan Sterling