Bohie Blackwood (née Palecek, she/her, b. 1987) is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and illustrator from Braidwood NSW, based in Victoria, Australia.

With a practice spanning human-centred communication design, large-scale murals, site-specific fine art, and visual storytelling, Bohie creates work that is deeply rooted in community engagement and environmental meaning-making. Her public art transforms spaces into places of cultural reflection, fostering dialogue, connection, and action.

After studying courses from Drawing and Printmaking at the Australian National University, Bohie earned the Award for Excellence in Graphic Design and Digital Media from the Canberra Institute of Technology in 2010. Since 2011, she has worked as a full-time self-employed designer and artist, developing a celebrated career that bridges commercial design, fine art, and public art. Her early work focused on reviving traditional signwriting which she saw as a conscious challenge to public advertising. She creating hand-crafted typographic works for brands such as Jacob’s Creek, UBER, and Westfield, while her illustration and design collaborations have been featured on streetwear brands across Australia, North America, and the UK.

Between 2019 and 2022 Bohie focused primarily on public murals. This work explores the social function of public art as “a tangible sign of the health of society,” reflecting on the interconnectedness of things. Her environmentally themed work combines recognisable imagery, figurative techniques, and moments of surprise or humour to inspire deeper engagement. Drawing on research into art for activism, behavioural psychology and systems of power, she uses hope as a strategy to encourage connection and collective responsibility, particularly in response to pressing issues like climate change and biodiversity loss.

Dubbing the “climate crisis” as a “human crisis” first and foremost, Bohie specialises in co-creative public art projects that engage marginalised groups, community organisations, and schools. Her collaborative approach amplifies vulnerable voices, challenges societal constructs, and supports community wellbeing through meaningful placemaking initiatives. Her work has appeared internationally in mural festivals, galleries, brand collaborations, and exhibition.

Her leadership in the field has been recognised in keynote and panel talks with AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association), the Surface Festival of Street Art, and YWCA’s She Leads conference, as well as in media outlets such as ABC News and Good Type. In 2023, Bohie co-authored science journal, Street Art as a Vehicle for Environmental Public Communication with researchers from the Australian National University, culminating in a short film premiered at the National Film and Sound Archive.

Most recently, Bohie became the first artist commissioned to paint the walls of the Gandel Atrium at the Australian National Museum for Riding the Olympic Wave: Breakthrough Sports (2024). She has further expanded her global footprint through art residencies in Mexico, Canada, Japan, and England, where her work continues to inspire connection, belonging, and environmental hope.

Bohie’s art and design is created not just in the public sphere but for the public, using art as a tool for storytelling, advocacy, and lasting change.