BIO

Kat Tillman (b. 1989, Wollongong) is a Naarm/Melbourne-based visual artist, muralist and designer whose practice explores place, memory and nostalgia through painting, illustration and large-scale public art.

Growing up in the coastal town of Thirroul, NSW, Tillman developed an enduring connection to landscape and the way places become intertwined with memory. Her work is characterised by bold colour, playful forms and a distinctly Australian visual language, moving between beaches, bushland, homes, wildlife and the familiar details of everyday life. Rather than documenting places exactly as they are, Tillman is interested in how we remember them — and how colour, humour and nostalgia can transform the ordinary into something deeply personal.

Tillman has presented three solo exhibitions in Melbourne — Long Drives and Salty Snacks (2024), Plenty of Time (2023) and Just a While Longer (2022) — alongside group exhibitions and an extensive body of murals and public artworks across Victoria.

Her practice also extends into illustration, design and socially engaged projects, including collaborations with What Were You Wearing Australia, Ocean Mind, Art x Scrubs Australia, Wet Dog and Yuki Threads. Her work has appeared in Artist Profile, Veraison Magazine and the Geelong Advertiser, and she illustrated the children’s book Marco’s Daydream.

In 2026, Tillman expanded her practice through Side Quest Stories, an ambitious multidisciplinary documentary and art project centred on the transformation of an entire suburban house through large-scale painting and storytelling.

Tillman holds a Bachelor of Applied Design from Billy Blue College of Design, where she later lectured in User-Centred Design and Design Thinking.