Emma Kohlmann

Emma Kohlmann, born in 1989 in New York City, is an American artist currently based in Massachusetts. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, where she studied aesthetics, feminist theory, and drawing. 

Kohlmann’s artistic practice encompasses a variety of mediums, including painting, drawing, printmaking, zine-making, and design. Her work is characterized by amorphous figures rendered in evocative color schemes, often exploring themes of form, gender, and sensuality. 

Over the past decade, Kohlmann has developed a distinct visual universe, easily recognizable for its amorphous figures. Rendered in an evocative color scheme and framed in pyrographed cherry wood frames, her signature style has settled into an almost naïve, folksy symbolism. The same hybrid figures appear in Kohlmann’s paintings again and again: bodies turn into candelabras, heads unfurl wings, a tailless cow acts as shelter, and women grow leaves as limbs. Strange in a way that only Kohlmann can do. 

Kohlmann has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally, with solo exhibitions at venues such as Jack Hanley Gallery in New York City, V1 Gallery in Copenhagen, and Kit Gallery in Tokyo. Her group exhibitions include shows at the Portland Museum of Art in Oregon, MOCA Tucson in Arizona, and New Release in New York. 

In addition to her exhibitions, Kohlmann publishes her own artist’s books and zines, and has created various record covers for music labels. Her work has been featured in publications such as Vogue and ARTnews, highlighting her unique approach to contemporary art. 

Through her diverse body of work, Emma Kohlmann continues to explore the fluidity of identity and the interplay between humans and the natural world, inviting viewers to engage with her imaginative and thought-provoking creations.