Sarah Kudirka

Hello

I am Sarah Kudirka.

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. Kind of like that, as an artist I explore the shapes and edges of stuff.

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

Currently my work centres upon bowl:boat motifs and shell-like forms; with ideas of belonging, distance or closeness, diaspora and crossing oceans.

More often than not my paintings have incised, scraped, oft-obliterated, deeply-textured surfaces. I paint in oils on fine linen and over recycled instant film exposures. My practice is distinctively low-tech – I pull things apart and build them up again iteratively. There are always many layers to what I paint. I am fond of stripes, Polaroids, colourful grids and sunshine.

High-level experience in creative consultancy, working with Arup engineers, architects and designers on global projects from buildings to public realm, and founding The Penguin Pool event series worldwide.

Born and educated in England and Kenya, I am now based in Scotland. Images by me are in corporate, public and private collections internationally. Do please get in touch if you’d like to add my work to your collection; seek my input on a project; discuss a show or commission; or just to say hello.

Artist's CV

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

Awards

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 2023 Build – Low Gallery, The Briggait, Glasgow
  • 2023 ArtCarBootSale – Patricia Fleming Gallery/SWG3, Glasgow
  • 2023 WASPS X Kirkcudbright Galleries – Kirkcudbright, Dumfries & Galloway
  • 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
  • 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 – Bow, London
  • 2007 Torture Care – auction & show, London
  • 2005-18 Secret – Royal College of Art, London
  • 2005 IDEA/You are de-corator – Hackney, 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

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  • 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

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  • 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