About Me

Artist Statement

My collages explore a state of restrained tension - an unrest that is at once alluring and inert. Drawing from traditional ideas, I subtly manipulate familiar forms to create space for both unease and acceptance to coexist.

My body of work has grown up through the cracks between dependency, trauma, addiction, and neurodivergence. It has been cultivated through an ongoing process of self-reflection and personal growth, serving as both a record of and a response to my efforts to become a more integrated version of myself. While acknowledging the weight of these experiences, the work resists reduction to them alone; in confronting darkness, it gestures toward transformation and renewal.

Through collage, I engage in a continual practice of finding beauty within discomfort, inviting the viewer to witness this process as it unfolds.

Artist Bio

Emily Morgan, the artist behind Lovely But Dead, creates collages as a quiet excavation of the self she lost to years of dependency. With careful cuts, dense layering, and an emphasis on precision over perfection, she crafts intuitive works that range from lush and verdant to dark and introspective.

Emily’s collage practice is bolstered by a strong combination of self-directed education (through teaching and collective leadership), a growing body of curated and juried exhibitions, multiple creative commissions in publishing and music, and consistent recognition from arts organizations and media outlets. Emily lives with her partner, Alex, and their three cats in Columbus, Ohio.