Sarah Kudirka

Hello

My name is Sarah Kudirka. I am an artist.

You know when you find something in your pocket that you picked up then forgot about? Familiar but unknown, a wee treasure, your fingers feel around its surfaces, its edges. Not until you pull it out of your pocket and see it in your hand do you know what it is. My art has always been about exploring the shape and edges of stuff, kind of like that.

“work that is beautiful, layered and thoughtful” – art critic, Jan Patience

My latest bowl:boat and shell-like paintings are about having compassion for people travelling across oceans in small boats. Ideas of belonging and belongings have been a recurrent theme in my work for years, thanks to visiting an archaeological site in East Africa during childhood. It left me with the notion that we are all outlived by things.

Nobody makes work like I do. And what I make is semi-abstract and with incised, scraped, oft-obliterated, colourful surfaces. I paint in oils on linen panels but also overlay colour onto original Polaroids and recycled instant snaps. My practice has been distinctively low-tech for over 30 years – I pull things apart and build them up again, iteratively. My ‘trashed canvases’ method is a noisy, fun, violent, extended process – that often takes years but – that finally yields surface of tactile softness and calm.

I also have high-level experience in creative consultancy, notably working with Arup engineers, architects and designers, on global public realm and building projects especially at concept and bid stage. I love to bring an artist’s brain to the design team.

My art sells internationally and is in corporate, public and private collections worldwide. Do please get in touch direct if you’d like to add my work to your collection; seek input to a project; discuss a commission or an exhibition; or just to say hello.

Artist's CV

Born in England, 1968
Live & work in Scotland

BA (Hons) Fine Art – First Class – The University of Leeds, 1990
MA Sculpture Studies – Distinction – The University of Leeds, 1991

Awards

Purchase Prize, Young Artists South East – Kent Art & Libraries
Research Award – The Henry Moore Sculpture Trust
Major Award – The British Council
The Passey Prize in Art – The University of Leeds
Light in Art – The Prudential

One Person Shows

2023 a bowl : a boat – The Briggait, Glasgow
2017 When did you last look up? – London Festival of Architecture
2017 Berlin City Skies – Laura Lea Art & Design, London
2015 Paint + Polaroids – Canary Wharf Window Gallery, London
2014 City Skies London – The Orange Tree, London
2005 Belongings – Toni Heath Gallery, London
2001 Fit and Proper – London Stock Exchange
2000 As Seen on TV – bbb contemporary art, London
1998 Vocabulary – Oliver J Benjamin, London
1995 Methodiz’d – Casson Gallery, Eastbourne
1993 Chairs & Stripes – Newlyn Gallery, Leeds
1992 Country Seat – Lotherton Hall, Aberford

Selected Group Shows

2022 Finding the Wonder, Tatha Gallery, Newport-on-Tay
2022 ArtCarBootSale, Patricia Fleming Gallery/SWG3, Glasgow
2021 STOP.START Sarah Kudirka & Rowena Comrie, South Block, Glasgow
2021 INSTANT, Society of Scottish Artists, online – co-Curator & exhibitor
2020 & 21 30 by 30, Society of Scottish Artists, Royal Scottish Academy
2019 Little Originals, Dockstreet Studios Gallery, Dundee
2019 ArtCarBootSale, Patricia Fleming Gallery/SWG3, Glasgow
2019 & 22 Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair, Kelvingrove, Glasgow
2018 Into The City, Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk
2016 & 2017 The Other Art Fair – Victoria House, London
2016 Introducing – Roseberys Auction House, London
2015 The Other Art Fair – Old Truman Brewery, London
2010 Socle – High Street, Bow, London
2007 Torture Care – auction show, London
2005-18 Secret – Royal College of Art, London
2005 IDEA/You are de-corator, London
2005 Artmix – Workplace Art, London
2004 The Makers – Soup Projects, London
2003 Pop Culture – Beatrice Royal Art Gallery, Southampton
2002 Size Matters – Stephen Lacey Gallery, London
2001 ARTFutures – Contemporary Art Society, London

Residencies & Trusteeships, etc

2021 Paper published in the journal Studies in Photography
2020 Speaker at National Trust for Scotland Second Morton Symposium
2018-21 Elected Council Member, Society of Scottish Artists
2018 PA Research Residency, Trongate 103, Glasgow
2017 Invited artist on selection panel for a major public sculpture
2011-14 Artist in ARUP, global residency for design/engineering firm
2010-17 Trustee/Board Member of Acme Artists Studios Ltd
2009 In Discussion invited artist, Lee Campbell projects
2004-05 Chair of Matrix Chambers artworks committee
2002-03 Tate Modern, assistant to Sir Nicholas Serota / Vicente Todolì
2001 Organiser of Larnaca Works Open Studios, London
1999 Collaborated with Gillian Cargill on Reclining Artists photo project
1997-98 ‘Land’ published in Women Artists Diary, Womens Press
1992-94 Austin Wright catalogue raisonné for Henry Moore Sculpture Trust published by Lund Humphries
1992 Invited speaker at Association of Art Historians conference

Public Realm Art Consultancy with/for architects, developers, private clients
Visual Creativity training for building engineers, architects and designers
Founder of ‘The Penguin Pool’ ARUP events held in 15 cities worldwide

Work in Collections

Kent Arts and Libraries, UK
The British Institute of Human Rights, UK
Various corporate collections, UK
Private collections in Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Lithuania, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain and USA

NB Until 2012 I was called Sarah K Davenport