Home Artist Programs Supported Artists Trish Tillman

Trish Tillman

Brooklyn, New York

This sculptural piece, called Closer, hangs on a wall. A carnation-pink, tongue-like form swells upward and is flanked along both sides by comma shapes. Three Two longer swirls curl out from the bottom in darker pink and purple. The upholstered piece has a line of fourteen round-headed pearl nails.

Closer

2026

This shaped leather sculpture is titled Vulture. The outline of a helmet has a plume with blond horse hair over a pink claw and black form resembling a wig. Twenty-seven upholstery tacks line the plume.

Vulture

2025

This shaped leather piece is titled Play Day. Two fingers lifted in a V to the right have long nails painted with rainbows. Below, two more finger-like forms curve to the left and down. Purple caps or socks patterned with blue are on the rounded tips. To the left, between the two pairs, the piece is the silhouette of a cartoon unicorn with a strawberry for a face.

Play Day

2024

This shaped leather piece, titled Nite Lite, is made up of two pieces. Above, a quilted, ivory-white crescent moon hangs between the long, rabbit-like ears or legs of the lower piece. The ears are covered with a fishnet stocking pattern, and the bottom is patterned with black on gray to create the impression of lace. The shape of a hand is cut out to the lower right, and two hooks hang on the bottom edge. A small, round-shouldered cosmetic bottle is lined up with the opening between the ears, and a pink-colored nub presses out from the end.

Nite Lite

2024

Saturday Night Hope Chest

2009

Exotic Décor

2009

Thirty Years

2008

Dressed in Mourning

2008

Artworks shown are selected from works submitted by the artist in their grant or residency application. All works are copyright of the artist or artist’s estate.

About Trish Tillman

Trish Tillman is a white artist with long, straight blond hair. She wears a black tank top with the name Salome written across the chest. A tattoo is visible on one shoulder, and windows open onto a cityscape on the far side of the room.

Trish Tillman is a New York City-based visual artist and writer. Influenced by the music and activist scene of Washington, DC where she grew up, her sculptures combine a DIY ethos with a refined sophistication through her use of materials like hand printed leather, chrome hardware, horsehair and zippers. She explores themes of identity, gender, and societal grooming, inviting viewers to question their perceptions of innocence, eroticism, and cultural ideals. Tillman received an MFA from School of Visual Arts and her work has been featured in exhibitions with Asya Geisberg Gallery, NYC; Andrew Rafacz, Chicago, IL; BravinLee, NYC; COUNTY, FL; University of Tennessee, TN; Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, VA; and the Delaware Contemporary Museum, DE. Her work has been supported by the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Hopper Prize, Fountainhead Residency, VisArts Richmond, and the Mildred Thompson Legacy Project. She has been featured in publications such as Artforum, The Art Newspaper, Sculpture Magazine and Vogue.

Program Participation

MFA Grant, 2009

Joan Mitchell Center Residency, 2026

Website / Social Links

“ My recent work explores how traumatic memory physically manifests in the body, shaping our identity, behavior, and idea of social norms. Manipulation of material and thread allow me to expose and control the shapes of these narratives, recontextualizing our connections to the haunted into confident, safe, and humorous symbols.”