Megan Nugroho: An Investigation of Human Connection
Born and raised in Indonesia and currently living in New York, Megan Nugroho explore themes of wildness, the natural and the alien body as a way to question the human connection to the environment. She uses colored pencil drawings as a medium of choice to evoke a childlike and magical perspective.
How did your creative journey begin?
I think art has always been with me since I was young. Getting dirty and finishing up my parents' printer paper were repeated behaviours and I loved it. Being immersed in a creative journey itself definitely came when I went to do my undergraduate degree. Before that, I had very little knowledge of who the big artists and museums are in the art world, and no one in my family knew either. Growing up in Indonesia was very detrimental to who I am as a person, but coming to America was the first time I was really exposed to what art is and can be.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I think inspiration comes from my own lived experiences and also unknown histories of my family. That's a big part of it; however, everything I encounter such as movies, tv and books also play a significant role. As someone who enjoys big consumption of media, making connections between that and my own life intersects all the time within my art.
How has your work shifted and evolved over time?
I felt like my work has evolved this past couple of years. During the beginning of covid with all the time I had alone, I began exploring my family's past and beliefs of magic and the supernatural. But as covid continued to develop and slowly adapt to everything, I became really introspective and curious about our connections with the environment. I started to find magic in the biological forms of our body and also surrounding us.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
I feel like no day is the same. Ideally I'd like them to be super productive and inspiring all the time, but of course that's not all the time. Typically, a day in the studio would be reserved for art making to put it simply. Sometimes I have something new to create, other days, I'm filling in shapes and copying forms for my drawings. I usually have a show to watch while I make work, something mindless, my favorite is to watch Survivor. Other times I listen to a podcast. Something I've been trying to incorporate more into my studio time is to read and write more which I find pretty tough. On days where things aren't moving, I'd probably be pacing or doing more watching than making.
My art practice has definitely grown. The more I make, the more I think and get more ideas for the next work. Also the more I make, the more I solidify what is meaningful and deserves my time and energy in regards to my work.
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
I think experiences of travel have really impacted myself as a person and as an artist. Everytime I visit my home country, Indonesia, my family and I travel in the country even if it's a place we've been to, we always find something new to see. All the things we see impact the drawings I make. I love stories and the thing with travelling is that I gain so many from other people, my family and my own experiences during that moment. Whenever I travel back home, I feel like I'm living in a magical place with magical stories surrounding me, it makes me feel super blessed. Also my recent explorations of my family history has given so many meaning and visuals to how I'd like my work to be constructed.
How has social media impacted your art career?
Social media is a tough beast for sure. I love that it definitely helps give me exposure, but also hate it when it doesn't really give me any for works that mean a lot to me. It's almost detrimental for some artists' career, and it's something I think about all the time. How much do I need to rely on it? I think it starts to get negative when I start to think how my work can fit into "my feed" or just social media in general, especially instagram. So really it's a balancing act. My goal is to always focus on making the work I want to make, not what social media wants.
What are your future goals and aspirations?
My future goals are to continue evolving as an artist, keep making art, and sharing the works with everyone.
Website: www.nugrohomegan.com
Instagram: @megan_nugroho