Meg Leary

June 23–26, 2018

The Ride of the Valkyries

The Ride of the Valkyries was artist Meg Leary’s first show in Tampa. The featured work on view was nine gold-leafed hairdryers that represent the valkyries (Brünhilde, Waltraute, Helmwige, Gerhilde, Siegrune, Schwertleite, Ortlinde, Grimgerde and Rossweisse) portrayed in Wagner's epic Opera Der Ring des Nibelungen. The hairdryers spin and sing, flying through the air in chaotic patterns. In Norse mythology, the Valkyries were female warriors send by the god Odin to who fly through the air deciding who lives and dies in battle. During this tumultuous political moment, Leary’s sound sculptures are a physical manifestation of the contradictions of women in the world.

Meg Leary (b. 1978) is a Chicago-based performance, sound and visual artist. She began her career as an opera singer, which has since become the foundation for the visual and performative works she creates. Over the past decade, she has been developing a series of performances, videos, sculptures and compositions based on the public perception of the “diva.” These pieces examine issues of femininity, queerness, fatness and voicelessness.

“Tempus Projects provided me a platform to create a fully realized new piece of work and have it exhibited. I was able to meet artists from the area and learn about the arts ecosystem of Tampa. One of the most rewarding aspects of my exhibition was being interviewed on a local public radio show with other artists and curators. The work I accomplished introduced me to a new realm of exhibition strategies and a wider network of artists and audiences.” -Meg Leary

Leary has an MA degree in Performance Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA degree in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She received her BA from Smith College and vocal training at The Boston Conservatory. Her work has been shown at a variety of venues including the Chicago Artists Coalition, Gallery 400, EXPO Chicago, ACRE Gallery, SOHO House, Chicago Artists Coalition, Subterranean, The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, NADA, Elastic Arts, The Hideout, The Whistler, Mana Contemporary, Kendall College of Art & Design, Peanut Gallery, Links Hall, Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, and more. Leary is currently a resident of the HATCH program at the Chicago Artists Coalition and the High Concept Laboratories Sponsored Artist Program.