Meagan Pelham is the ultimate romantic, someone who creates and lives by a philosophy of true love. The imagery in her artworks invites audiences to see the world through rose-coloured glasses and to embrace moments of beauty that surround us.

Meagan Pelham Studio A Profile Photo for Website.JPG

Meagan is a multidisciplinary artist practising in painting, poetry, drawing and performance. She was recently selected as a finalist for the 2022 Archibald Prize with her watercolour portrait Romance is LOVE, depicting friend and collaborator Anna Plunkett of the Australian fashion label Romance was Born.  

Meagan uses delicate line work to depict emblems of devotion and delight, including wedding cakes, red roses and love-heart-shaped cocktail glasses. Her favourite subjects are her signature ‘love owls’, which she often draws in pairs to signify how they are the most romantic of animals.

Her handwritten poetry practice is expressive and intimate, a prophecy of beautiful things and moments manifested on paper. Her verses recount spellbinding reveries of dinner dates, romantic getaways and dancing with a loved one.  Meagan's love poetry was featured at Cementa Festival 2022, printed onto multiple holographic perspex surfaces. 

Meagan is a captivating performance artist, having presented live works in Sydney’s most prestigious art spaces. In 2017, she performed as the Owl Bride in the sold-out birdfoxmonster production at Carriageworks and in 2018 she performed Love Poem Sorceress at the Museum of Contemporary Art for their Bella Plus Connect program. 

Meagan has a long-sustained creative partnership with the designers at Romance was Born, who have created multiple collections of couture gowns and ready-to-wear garments featuring her artwork and poetry. In 2021, Meagan performed as a part of Romance was Born’s curated program for Powerhouse Late, in a production called Dr of Love.

Meagan's work has successfully featured at multiple art fairs including Sydney Contemporary, the Affordable Art Fair and Incognito Art Show. She was also one of seven Studio A artists commissioned to create a large-scale mural at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2020, and in 2022 she secured a public artwork commission for Spilt Milk Festival.

Meagan’s works are held in public and private collections, including Artbank and the University of Technology Sydney Art Collection.

Words by Anna McKey