Julia Phillips

Julia Phillips (born 1985) is a German-American contemporary artist known for her sculptures, drawings, prints, videos, and performances. Her multidisciplinary practice explores themes of the body, power dynamics, psychological experiences, motherhood, race, and social relations through hybrid objects that resemble tools, prosthetics, and functional devices.

Phillips is represented by Matthew Marks Gallery and serves as associate professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited at major institutions including the 59th Venice Biennale, the Whitney Biennial, the Berlin Biennale, and the New Museum Triennial.

Early life and education Phillips was born in 1985 in Hamburg, Germany, and holds dual German and American citizenship. She received her Diploma from the Academy of Fine Arts Hamburg (HFBK) in 2012. In 2015, she earned an MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts in New York 2022: Me, Ourself & You, Matthew Marks Gallery, New York 2021: Between Love and Loss, Matthew Marks Gallery, Los Angeles the Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation Artadia Award (2023), and the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Grant, among others. She has participated in residencies at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Skowhegan, and EMPAC. She joined the University of Chicago faculty in 2018 and was promoted to associate professor in 2026.