Lilly Kaiser is an artist and arts educator whose painting practice centres on narrative, place, and the observational study of desert flora. Through this meditative and grounding process, she invites intuition, play, and expressive experimentation. Based in Alice Springs, Australia, Lilly is excited to to explore flora and fauna of Chiang Mai where she joins Studio 88 as an Artist-in-Residence for the Reviving Nature program in January 2026. Lilly Kaiser’s residency is supported by Northern Territory Grants – NT Grants and Charles Darwin University.
Lilly Kaiser is an emerging artist and arts educator living and working on Arrernte Country in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Australia. Her practice explores the non-verbal relationships between people, place, and environment, with a particular focus on how landscapes shape lived experience, memory, and emotional connection. Through painting, Lilly works intuitively with colour, texture, and abstraction to translate observation into expressive forms that sit between representation and imagination.
Currently, Lilly’s painting practice centres on narrative, place, and the close observational study of desert flora. This process functions as both a grounding and meditative practice—one that sparks intuition, play, and material experimentation. She is especially drawn to plants that survive in harsh climates: species that appear robust yet reveal a delicate vulnerability when examined closely. Many of these plants face increasing environmental pressures, and through her work Lilly seeks to honour their resilience, endurance, and presence. Rather than depicting flora botanically, she approaches them as characters with agency, exploring how paint can embody their strength, fragility, and quiet persistence.
Having lived and worked across Australia’s west and east coasts, Lilly now finds herself embedded in the unique social and ecological dynamics of Central Australia. The isolation of the desert, coupled with the intimacy of a small community, continues to reshape her practice—encouraging attentiveness, slow looking, and deep engagement with place. Her work has been exhibited nationally in public and private galleries, and is held in both public and private collections, including the John Curtin Collection at Curtin University. Recent exhibitions include presentations at Watch This Space ARI, Bathhouse Studios, and Duyu Roastery in Mparntwe/Alice Springs.
Alongside her studio practice, Lilly maintains a strong commitment to arts education and community engagement. She is currently a part-time lecturer at the Academy of Art, Charles Darwin University, and has held a range of technical, teaching, and leadership roles within tertiary institutions and community arts organisations. Her experience working across education, artist-run initiatives, and regional arts contexts informs a practice that values collaboration, exchange, and accessibility.
As an artist-in-residence at Studio 88, Lilly will undertake Botanical Portraits: Perspectives of Chiang Mai’s Local Plants, developed as part of the Reviving Nature 2026 Residency. This project extends her ongoing interest in plant life by shifting her practice into a new cultural, ecological, and botanical context. During the residency, Lilly will explore local herbs and plants in Chiang Mai through expressive painted “portraits,” imagining and interpreting the perspective of each plant.
Responding to local creative and ecological knowledges, Lilly will build individual plant profiles through research and dialogue—gathering information on their ecological roles, cultural and historical significance, traditional uses, and conservation concerns. This research-led approach functions as a way of “interviewing” the plants, allowing their character and context to guide visual decisions. Through direct observation, sketching, field notes, and studio experimentation, Lilly will engage in a visual dialogue with each subject, responding through colour, abstraction, texture, and composition to express their presence and point of view.
The residency will unfold as a focused yet flexible process: beginning with on-site observation and conversations with local artists and researchers; moving into experimentation with abstraction and perspective; and culminating in the development of exploratory paintings that integrate research, reflection, and feedback. Lilly is particularly excited to engage with the Thailand Creative Design Centre program, connect with Botanical Breath feature artist Sujittra Prasert, learn from Botanical Friendship, and exchange knowledge with fellow resident artists.
Through this residency, Lilly aims to better understand how Chiang Mai’s local plants exist within contemporary social and environmental shifts, and how painting can act as a bridge between artistic, ecological, and cultural narratives. The resulting body of work will celebrate local flora while expanding her painting practice, fostering dialogue around threatened species, and carrying new perspectives back to the desert—enriching both her ongoing work and the creative and environmental communities she is part of.
This residency is supported by:
Northern Territory Grants – NT Grants
Charles Darwin University
More about Lilly Kaiser on her website and instagram
Studio 88 accepts applications on an ongoing basis. Check out our residency program and apply now.
Studio 88 Artist Residency 