Kate Gilmore is known for her physically demanding and darkly humorous videos that explore themes of the outsider experience, female identity, displacement, desire, and defeat. Gilmore is the sole protagonist in her performance-based videos, which often involve the artist subjecting herself to daunting and uncomfortable tasks. In Star Bright, Star Might, the artist attempts to break through a small star-shaped hole in a painted wooden board using only her head, while Heart Breaker involves Gilmore using an axe to destroy a giant heart, composed from wood planks dripping with red paint, while wearing a slinky white dress.

Gilmore was included in the 2010 Whitney Biennial and her work has been exhibited in solo shows at institutions such as White Columns, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland.