Recently, our StandOut MLC Coordinator Liah had the opportunity to interview Megan Baker, a young Perth-based, LGBTQ artist. This is part of our ongoing project on highlighting and sharing the works and successes of inspirational LGBTQ youth around Western Australia.
"My name is Megan (pronounced meg-in) Baker. I'm a 21 year old, Irish, chronically ill, bisexual artist."
Megan moved to Perth when they were 13, and is currently a student at Curtin University. While meeting the demands and assignments that come with university level art, Megan says they're trying to get their art out into the world as much as possible. An artist with a distinctive style and a bold aesthetic, Megan's passion for LGBTQ awareness, and educating people about invisible illness, is part of what drives them and their creative pursuits.
Megan has loved art for their whole life, but it hasn't always been easy. During high school, Megan's art teachers were often discouraging, and their art career stalled. After leaving school, though Megan was able to pursue their artistic talent in fashion design at TAFE. It was here that Megan remember just how much they love creating designs and artistic pieces. There was one problem: "I realized I would never be able to sew a straight line." It was through exploring fashion as wearable art, that Megan got back into the pure art of their earlier life - now, they study Fine Art and Creative Advertising part-time at Curtin University.
As for what influences Megan's art: "I'd say most of it comes from my own life and seeing the work of artists and friends on Instagram and shows at galleries." As with most artists, Megan's life and personal experiences are expressed and reflected through their works - collections of bright, graphic, illustrations, filled with whimsical, meandering patterns and life-like characters with expressive, if droll, faces.
Chronic illness seems to feature in many of these works. In fact, this became incredibly important in Megan's life in 2012. "I got really sick and just never really got better", they explain. They ended up having to drop out of high school, and were sleeping 16 to 18 hours a day, waking up exhausted in severe pain. Seven years on, Megan still climbs these mountains every day, but now they know why: Megan was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and several coinfections resulting from a tick bite. Becoming so sick has changed their life dramatically, but art has always helped them process things and it is depicted a lot in their artworks.
Gender expression, too, is something that runs through many of the graphic and whimsical illustrations that fill Megan's Instagram page with vibrant and enticing splashes of colour. "In my first semester of uni, we were set the task of creating work around our name," Megan tells us. In fact, their name is what has sparked their artistic exploration of gender expression and expectations of gender.
[The name] 'Megan' is so strongly linked with the assumption that - "Oh, you're a woman" - but I myself am not so much. For me, my gender identity and expression are things I think about a lot, and using art as a tool to explore and process these thoughts and feelings is an on-going thing.
An example of this is the "Cactus Kid", an acrylic painting of a non-binary character who is "fed up". It's Megan's favourite piece: The painting is hanging in Megan's living room now, and their mum loves it too. It's easy to see why. The painting is graphic and stylistically unique - not too mention its message. "I just love the way the pose, colours and everything turned out."
Megan says it's as an extension of themself and their feelings, having had to deal with people who are ignorant and hateful towards gender diverse, or non-conforming people. The bigotry that Megan has to deal with has often left them feeling guarded and cautious when meeting people for the first time.
I have had insults hurled at my by members of my local community just because of the way I look and dress...I have no patience for small minded people who think their opinion of another person's looks matters.
What about their biggest artistic achievements? Last year, Megan won the experimental category at the HyperVision Art Awards. It was a Monday night at the Midland Gate Shopping Centre at the awards ceremony, and "the tension was unreal." Megan's whole family came out to support them on the night - no one knew who was going to be the winner, but their hopes were high.
First, the runner-up's name was called: "I felt disappointed, thinking there was no way I'd win the overall," Megan remembers. Then, the announcer said - "Life Unravels", the name of Megan's piece. Before they could even read Megan's name, her mum gasped with delight. "Everyone, including the announcer, looked in our direction. [My mum] had recognised the name of my piece.
Before they could even say my name, I was on my feet power-walking up to the stage with a huge grin on my face, it was so awesome!
It was the first time that the countless hours of effort poured into Megan's art had been recognised officially. Since then, their artworks have been shared and promoted online, including by youth magazine Goshi.
The most recent exciting event has been the Big Splash WA project, which commissioned Megan to contribute an artwork to its Perth-wide exhibition. In it, 37 dolphin statues were placed around Perth, each decorated by different artists. The project was created by the Perth Children's Hospital, to raise money and awareness for their Child and Adolescent Mental Health unit. Megan's dolphin, Sailor Jerry, could be found right outside the State Library. Why dolphins? They're strong communicators, and they live in supportive pods - exactly the message needed for a campaign to bring families together, start conversations about mental health, and break down stigma and shame. "It was a great cause to be involved with and I love seeing everyone interacting and enjoying the art around the city," Megan says.
And finally: what about when they're not working on their art? Visiting galleries! is the answer - as well as binge watching TV shows on Netflix (of course), or listening to podcasts like "You're So Brave" - which, Megan adds, they highly recommend.
View more of Megan Baker's artworks on their instagram profile: @meganbakerart or on their website, which has more about their works and their process. Much thanks to them for participating in this profile.
You can read the full interview in StandOut MLC's newsletter.
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