ABOUT
Caitlin Kozman is a conceptual artist and writer whose practice explores the intersection of photomedia, feminist performance, and the politics of the archive. Using analogue c-type processes, Kozman subjects the photographic image to deliberate material trauma—through chemical degradation, physical abrasion, and environmental exposure—to challenge the medium’s historical association with objective truth.
Grounded in an inquiry into class, consent, and the performative nature of self-representation, Kozman’s work treats the image as a site of negotiation rather than a fixed record. By "bruising" the material, they force a confrontation with the failure of representation, inviting the viewer to look past the surface to find beauty in the unresolved glitch. Their practice functions as a series of relics—residues of a performance where the artist, the model, and the material are inextricably linked.
Caitlin Kozman, Photobooth C-type print, 2025
artist statement
Silent actions are prompts used to describe the void.
My practice interrogates the friction between the photographic image and the reality it purports to document. While photomedia is historically coded as an evidentiary tool, I approach the medium as a site of failure, erasure, and performance.
I treat the photographic surface—specifically the analogue C-type print—as a material that can be bruised, abraded, and degraded. By subjecting my images to physical interventions—including chemical manipulation, intentional decay, and sanding—I strip away the veneer of "objective truth." This process of material trauma is a deliberate act of reauthoring, where the final work becomes a relic of a performance rather than a static recording.
My inquiry is fundamentally feminist, grounded in the politics of class and consent. By documenting my own body and environment, I investigate how we are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves and the narratives imposed upon us. My work asks: what remains when the image is fractured? By embracing the glitch and the void, I invite the viewer to look beyond the representational surface to find resonance in the beautifully unresolved.
Caitlin Kozman is a conceptual artist, writer, and performer whose practice interrogates the politics of the archive and the fallibility of the photographic image.
bio
Known for "bruising" photomedia—a methodology involving chemical degradation, physical abrasion, and environmental exposure—Kozman treats the image as a site of negotiation. By utilising analogue C-type printing to explore themes of class, consent, and self-representation, they transform the photographic surface into a relic of performance. Their work invites a confrontation with the "unresolved," repositioning the image as a fractured, evolving document rather than a fixed record.
A graduate of the Australian National University (BVA Honours, 2017) and RMIT University (Master of Arts Management, 2023), Kozman’s academic background is underscored by industry experience in arts facilitation and archival assistance. Their work has been exhibited at the National Museum of Australia, Wollongong Art Gallery, and various independent galleries across Australia. In 2023, Kozman was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence Award and placed on the Dean’s List at RMIT, reflecting a sustained commitment to both rigorous material inquiry and professional practice.
CV
solo exhibitions
2023 Untitled Time, Sandbox Studios, Melbourne, Australia
2018 Intact, Gaffa Creative Precinct, Sydney, Australia
2017 Between Wash Cycles, Platform by Canberra Contemporary, Australia
2016 Dry, M16 Artspace, Canberra, Australia
Group Exhibitions
2025 Queering, The Victorian Pride Centre, Melbourne, Australia
2023 The Big Queer Show, Unassigned Gallery, Brunswick, Australia
2022 there’s a crack in everything…, Wollongong Art Gallery, Wollongong, Australia
2020 Suggestive Terrain, Tributary Projects, Canberra, Australia
2017 Industrial Zone: Art About Sex, Tributary Projects, Canberra, Australia
2016 Graduate Exhibition, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2016 The Postgraduate and Research Students’ Association Pop Up Gallery, Australian National University, Australia
2014 Springboard Award Exhibition, Belconnon Community Arts Centre, Canberra, Australia
2014 Graduate Exhibition, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2014 Australian National University Drawing Prize, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2014 Random, Australian National University Gallery, Canberra, Australia
2013 Random, Australian National University Gallery, Canberra, Australia
2013 The F Word, Photospace Gallery, Australian National University, Australia
2013 #Bombala, Bombala Train Station House, Bombala, Australia
2013 #Bombala, Queensland Centre for Photography, Brisbane, Australia
2013 #Bombala, Australian National University Gallery, Canberra, Australia
2013 Art School Ball Silent Auction, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2012 Dust to Dust, National Museum of Australia, Canberra, Australia
2012 Friday on my Wall, Painting Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2012 Friday on my Wall, Painting Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2012 Art School Ball Silent Auction, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2011 Random, Australian National University Gallery, Canberra, Australia
2011 Friday on my Wall, Painting Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2011 Friday on my Wall, Painting Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2011 Friday on my Wall, Painting Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Education
2022 - 2023 Master of Art (Arts Management), RMIT University, Australia
2015 - 2015 Honours of Visual Arts, Australian National University, Australia
2011 - 2014 Bachelor of Visual Arts, Australian National University, Australia
Awards
2023 The Vice Chancellor's Excellence Award, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
2023 The Dean's List, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
2014 Springboard Award (Winner), Belconnon Community Centre Springboard Award, Belconnon Community Centre, Canberra, Australia
2014 Drawing Prize (Finalist), Australian National University Drawing Prize, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia