Kate Mitchell lives and works in Sydney. In 2006, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) (Photomedia) from the College of Fine Arts (UNSW) and completed a Masters of Fine Arts in 2008.
Her practice includes performance-based videos, projections and objects, drawings and conceptual offerings. Her work has consistently played with the joke and the cartooning of violence. Across many videos she performs the Disneyland impossible: cutting a hole around yourself with a saw; walking on a barrel; climbing a ladder while cutting rungs. Her performances are magical to watch, shocking and brave. In the work 9 to 5, for example, Mitchell becomes a sun dial staying out in the sun all day while time passes for her, marked by her own shadow.
Mitchell works on the limit of the acceptable and normal. She finds the irrational in life in order to reflexively question herself, her material reality, and her place within a society in which we all constantly perform.

A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services