Megan Plunkett
*1985, United States
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, United States
Biography
Megan Plunkett’s serial photographic practice examines the unstable relationship between image and object, questioning how visual suggestions affect perception. Her photographs blur fact and fiction, taking an unconventional view toward common objects and everyday scenes, and blending a variety of practical effects and photographic techniques. Scale is distorted, clarity is confounded, and expectations are upended in her work, initiating a new, uncanny reality.
Plunkett (*1985, United States) lives and works in Los Angeles. She has presented two solo exhibitions at Sweetwater, most recently in 2025. Other recent solo and two-person exhibitions have been held at Dracula's Revenge, Emalin, and F Gallery. Her work has been included in group exhibitions at The Wig, the Bonner Kunstverein, and MOSTYN. In 2024, she was named co-chair of Photography at the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College.
Selected Texts
Exhibitions
Artworks
Curriculum Vitae
Education
| 2017 | MFA, The Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, United States |
| BFA, Pratt Institute, New York, NY, United |
Selected Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
| 2025 | The Already World, Sweetwater, Berlin, Germany |
| Beep If You Boop, Dracula's Revenge, New York, NY, United States | |
| 2024 | Home Again with John Divola, Timeshare, Los Angeles, CA, United States |
| Manfred Pernice & Megan Plunkett, Emalin, London, United Kingdom | |
| 2023 | CTZNMEG, F Gallery, Houston, TX, United States |
| 2022 | Leave It, Sweetwater, Berlin, Germany |
| 2021 | Electric Avenue, Emalin, London, United Kingdom |
| 2020 | Return to Sender, F Gallery, Houston, TX, United States |
| 2019 | Act Naturally, The Gallery at El Centro, Los Angeles, CA, United States |
| 2018 | Big Dogs, Small Dogs, These Dogs Are Fine Ones, Commercial Street at The Capri, Los Angeles, CA, United States |
| Plus One with John Miller, Shoot The Lobster, New York, NY, United States | |
| 2017 | Live Rust, Not Right, Long As I Can See, Bad Reputation, Los Angeles, CA, United States |
| I bet you wish you did and I know I do, Emalin, London, United Kingdom | |
| 2016 | I Can See to the Way I’m God Damn Able/Subiaco/The Brave Dog, Bad Reputation, Los Angeles, CA, United States |
| 2013 | My Life in History, Good Press, Glasgow, United Kingdom |
| 2010 | High Noon, Golden Age, Chicago, IL, United States |
Selected Group Exhibitions
| 2025 | so many cares, Palmer Gallery, London, United Kingdom |
| 2024 | Files, Kunsthalle Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland |
| Iteration and Reproduction, The Fulcrum, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| Artworks Upon the Earth, curated by Piero Bisello, Zeller van Almsick, Vienna, Austria | |
| Hypnopomp, Canepa Selling, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| The hill is getting lower. Or so it seems., Sweetwater, Berlin, Germany | |
| 2023 | Portals, STARS, Los Angeles, CA, United States |
| A Manual of Errors?, Sgomento Zurigo, Zurich, Switzerland | |
| Watch Me Fall, Shivers Only at DOC, Paris, France | |
| 2022 | DRIVE LANGUAGE CRAZY, The Wig, Berlin, Germany |
| An index of being alive, Park View / Paul Soto, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| In The Shadows of Tall Necessities, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn, Germany | |
| The Wig, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn, Germany | |
| The Wig, Mostyn, Llandudno, United Kingdom | |
| 2021 | Friends & Family, Magenta Plains, New York, NY, United States |
| The Wig, Drei, Mönchengladbach, Germany | |
| Pull-Back Dolly, 1862 N. Wilton Pl., Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| 2020 | Icon Maintenance, Sweetwater, Berlin, Germany |
| The Obvious, Art at Michael’s, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| 2019 | Salon de Normandy by The Community, Normandy Hôtel, Paris, France |
| Avengers: Someone Left the Cake Out In the Rain, Reena Spaulings, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| Condo London, Emalin, London, United Kingdom | |
| Group Show, curated by Baba Yaga, Grand Buffet & Pulvers Glass, Hudson, NY, United States | |
| 2018 | Beach Show, Barassie Beach, Glasgow, United Kingdom |
| Caisson, Diver, Charmer, Commercial Street at Jenny’s, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| 2017 | Do We Own This, Seymour 2017, Los Angeles, CA, United States |
| New Human Agenda, And Now, Dallas, TX, United States | |
| Tar Pits, Redling Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| The Garden of Forking Paths, Magenta Plains, New York, NY, United States | |
| 2016 | Dangling in the Romp, organized by George Egerton-Warburton, Pet Projects, Perth, Australia |
| HELL WHORES, Falcon’s Nest, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| Will You, Pratt Institute, New York, NY, United States | |
| Open. Wide. Sparagmos, Hercules, New York, NY, United States | |
| A Sensuous Appearance of the Idea, Bad Reputation, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| MDF Blog, Planthouse, New York, NY, United States | |
| 2015 | No Dice, Kimberly Klark, New York, NY, United States |
| Sara two, Hester, New York, NY, United States | |
| 2014 | Raking the Through, No Space, Mexico City, Mexico |
| Liminal Sunday, Satellite Space, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| Another Cats Show, 356 Mission, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| Mental Furniture, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, United States | |
| 2013 | Plus 1, Planthouse, New York, NY, United States |
| Input/Output, New York, NY, United States | |
| 2012 | Published by the Artist, ICPNY, New York, NY, United States |
| 2011 | December, Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York, NY, United States |
| Glamps, Know More Games, New York, NY, United States | |
| 2010 | Permanent Collection, White Flag Projects, St. Louis, MO, United States |
| Important Projects, Oakland, CA, United States | |
| QVNOXW//, 86 Forsyth, New York, NY, United States | |
| 2009 | New York Stories, Light Industries, New York, NY, United States |
| Medium Rare, Golden Age, Chicago, IL, United States | |
| 2008 | One Size Fits All, Printed Matter, New York, NY, United States |
| The Dark Fair, Swiss Institute, New York, NY, United States |
Selected Press
| 2024 | Gracie Hadland, Impossible Thinking: Megan Plunkett in conversation with Gracie Hadland, Flash Art, issue 347, June |
| 2023 | Megan Plunkett on upcoming exhibitions, The Hopper Prize |
| 2022 | Diana Hamilton, Megan Plunkett’s Past Life as a P.I. Frieze, May |
| 2021 | Megan Plunkett, Ghosts in Machines and Hand Tools, X-TRA Online, October |
| Adam Marnie, Megan Plunkett: Almost a Mirror, Emalin Stories, March | |
| 2019 | In Conversation with Megan Plunkett, Tank Magazine, February |
| 2017 | Orit Gat, Critic’s Guide: London, Frieze, July 18 |
Publications and Texts
| 2024 | Contribution, Spike Art Magazine #78: The Night |
| 2023 | Megan Plunkett, Why I Did It, F PDF 019, April |
| 2022 | Megan Plunkett, An Excerpt of Something Still in Progress: for Pippa Garner, F Magazine, Issue 11: INTIMACY, May |
| 2021 | Adam Marnie and Megan Plunkett, F Mag “Mail Art” Auction Catalog, F, Houston, TX, United States |
| 2019 | Gabriella Nugent, Megan Plunkett, and Kari Rittenbach, Special Friend, Emalin, London, United Kingdom |
| 2017 | Megan Plunkett, The Mail with Adam Marnie, F Magazine, Issue 7: PARANOIA, September |
| Megan Plunkett, Do It Yourself, America!, F Magazine, Issue 7: PARANOIA, September | |
| Megan Plunkett, New Moon on Monday, F Magazine, Issue 6: SEX, April | |
| 2016 | Megan Plunkett, The Landman is Coming with Barbara Ess, F Magazine, Issue 4: LANGUAGE, April |
| 2015 | Megan Plunkett, Growing Up, the Rogue River, F Magazine, Issue 3: Truth and Lie, September |
| 2014 | Megan Plunkett, Noitcudorper Lacinahcem, F Magazine, Issue 1: Mechanical Reproduction, June |
Residencies, Grants and Awards
| 2023 | The Hopper Prize |
| 2018 | Rupert Residency, Vilnius, Latvia |
| 2016 | Fremantle Arts Centre Residency, Fremantle, Australia |