Art-Toking with Megan Foo (aka @maegzter)

Megan Foo, better known as @maegzter, is a Singaporean art and lifestyle content creator. She has gained a strong following on TikTok for her snappy videos that deftly intersect art-related trivia and popular culture. We speak to Megan to find out more about this niche she has carved in the social media space.

Do you have a TikTok video or series you are most proud of?

It will have to be the series on artworks in pop culture and the one where I demystify a particular artwork. To give an example, one of them looked at Diego Velázquez’s ‘Las Meninas’ (1656) and began with: “So you know the Mona Lisa, but what about this painting?” I think these are fun because it helps to break down an artwork and make it a little more relatable and accessible to my audience. Hopefully, it helps them realise that art is all around us and anyone can appreciate it. The meaning behind some of these artworks are not as deep as we make them out to be.

You have a degree in marketing from Singapore Management University, and I am curious if it came in useful in your TikTok journey? If not, were there other skills you acquired from your formal education that came in handy?

This is such an interesting question… maybe, to some degree. Marketing, at its heart, is about promoting a product, value, or service to a customer based on relevant market research on that customer base. More often than not, the most efficient way to do this is to highlight its value. Content creation on TikTok is very similar. It is all about asking what the value of your content is to your audience and what would pique their interest to watch more instead of scrolling past it.

Demystifying an Artwork: On Diego Velázquez’s ‘Las Meninas’, Part 1.

On Amanda Heng’s ‘Let’s Walk’.

My next question deals with the day-to-day work of producing content.Do you work around a schedule with posts lined up in advance? What isyour process like?

I try to batch create and caption content by week and in advance. I first save trending audio tracks for a particular week. I also block out a day to film and caption all the pieces of content. They are then posted throughout the week and the process repeats.

Is there a difference between audience engagement on Instagram versusTikTok?

This is slight, and probably due to the different nature of each platform. As TikTok comments have a character limit, I think people are less likely to leave long-form comments. I tend to see more long-form comments and discussion on my Instagram Reels videos.

Art inspiration by James Turrell in Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ music video.

Artwork in K-Drama ‘Vincenzo’.

From your observation, what has worked well in getting people interested in art?

Digestible content. I think many people perceive high barriers to entry when it comes to understanding or appreciating art. However, speaking about it in layperson terms, such as through a TikTok trend, an attentiongrabbing one-liner, or a thought-provoking question can help make artworks and art history more accessible.

Recently, you were involved in ‘Artsplaining’ at the National GallerySingapore. How was the experience? Was it the first time you presentedat such an event?

The experience was fun and gave me a feel of maybe what a docent would do at an art museum. Becoming a docent was the main reason why I started my TikTok account, and is still something I would like to do one day! It was the first time that I had the opportunity to present at such a setting, and I look forward to similar opportunities in the future.

How do you approach developing a personal brand?

I think social media, in general, favours having a niche. Maybe because it helps the algorithm identify and tag the content that you are putting out, and then serve it to the right audiences. With Instagram, it should be aligned with your personal brand. That said, I am not the best example as I still post snippets of my everyday life in my Instagram Stories.

Are there projects or collaborations you wish to explore in the near future?

I have collaborations with other content creators in the works, notforgetting my regular art content, so stay tuned!