Megan Angolia

Utilizing thousand-year-old clay techniques, I create tightly rendered ceramic busts of female portraiture. Blending traditional methods with contemporary content, I craft women suspended in unexpectedly relatable mundane moments.

Historically women were depicted as either accessories to men or objects of desire. For me, everything from doing laundry to irritating a coworker offers inspiration. Pulling from autobiographical experiences serves to showcase daily narratives frequently absent in fine art depictions of the female form. These portraits serve to showcase the richness of the human experience outside of the traditional parameters that typically dictate the who, how and look of a bust.

In the moments represented, their reactions distil the emotive by offering an intimate glimpse into a candid exchange. Titles further this connection by expanding on the context, with artwork titles like: If you find me dead in the guest room it's because I tried plow pose or OhJesustheresabuginthetub

What results are animated portraits that concurrently capture the fleeting emotion of the subjects while offering critique on just who portraiture historically favors. 

Megan Angolia is a Richmond, Virginia area based figurative artist. Pulling inspiration from 18th century German-Austrian sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, she explores the malleability of human expression through hyper specific personal experiences. Since receiving her BFA in ceramics from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, Angolia has expanded her studio practice to include both sculpting and painting. Angolia’s work is exhibited nationally, with recent work shown at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. She is a recipient of the 2021/22 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship.