Zophia McDougal is an interdisciplinary artist residing in Mid-Missouri. For McDougal, a.k.a Petunia Meat, an artist is as an artist does. Their works live in the mundane of the middle, where they’ve experienced most of life. McDougal uses printmaking, painting, photography, performance, sculpture, sound, creative writing, and found objects to make works that discuss the paradoxes of identity through play. McDougal attempts to find visual representations of the middle of humanity, playing.

    The work represents their innermost intentions; to give, to play, and to be connected to people specifically designed to exist right where they are. They are a queer, Polish/Scottish, epileptic, spiritual, non-binary person. They use their experiences of marginalization and privilege as if they had no words, as if they only had actions to express the words. Much like playing games and sports, once there’s a line defining an area of play, there comes the challenge to move, or to make another body or object move. McDougal makes work to make you move.

    Zophia’s work tells and makes stories. They believe art is a special place for stories to be told and created. They ask you to believe that their story is your story and that your story is theirs. They ask for you to join in and move alongside the present times, together.