Megan Koth

Through a decidedly queer, feminist lens, Koth addresses the often fraught relationship that can exist between the topography and interiority of the body. Viral internet imagery, contemporary makeup trends, and the traditions of painting and self-portraiture converge to address themes of body horror, obsessive self-evaluation and maintenance, as well as the liminal space of self-care. Drawing from her own experiences with chronic health issues, Koth interrogates how personal grooming in the form of skincare and beauty rituals can be a crucial exterior reaction to interior anxieties towards exerting, and sometimes losing, control over one’s body and health.

Bio: Megan Koth is an artist currently based in Ventura, California. She received her Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. She currently works as an graduate academic advisor, as well as lecturer, in the UCSB Department of Art. Her work resides in private collections throughout the United States, and has appeared in Voyage-Phoenix, Lum Artzine, LA Weekly, Hyperallergic, and Phoenix New Times.