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Sarah Kudirka

Glasgow
Work that is "beautiful, layered and thoughtful". Painter Sarah Kudirka explores the shapes and edges of things, and ideas around belonging and compassion. Works mainly in oils over linen and Polaroids. Founder of KUDIRKA ’sometimes' space, Glasgow.
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“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” SK

Sarah Kudirka’s paintings have long been about exploring the shapes and edges of stuff, kind of like that. Described by art writer Jan Patience as “work that is beautiful, layered and thoughtful” these finely worked, semi-abstract oil paintings touch on human compassion, ideas of sharing space and belonging. 

Style characterised by incised, scraped, oft-obliterated, deeply textured, paint surfaces. The artist's methodology has always been distinctively low-tech but made with fine materials, made to last. Working iteratively in countless paint layers, she pulls things apart and rebuilds. Her ‘trashed canvases’ approach is a technically risky, violent, fun and noisy extended process that finally yields surfaces of an almost textile softness. Has always used stripes and lettering, later adding in fine brushstroke lines and tiny dots in later paintings.

Kudirka's 'Across Oceans' series employs bowl/boat forms and shell-like swirls to suggest age-old human stories of journeying across water and the gathering and sharing of food. Other references circle around diaspora and how, from ancient times, oceans were a conduit not a barrier to free movement of people.

Sarah makes paintings iteratively, over months and even years. Each has its own object memory as she revisits old canvases, ripping previous works apart to achieve her distinctive surfaces. They are created meticulously in expanses of colour, with intricate fine brushstrokes, repeated layering and glazing, wiping and scratching. 

Recent shows include solo exhibitions at Edelweiss Gallery and The Briggait in Glasgow. Group shows include SSA and VAS shows, the Royal Scottish Academy, An Tobar Isle of Mull, Stallan Brand, Tatha Gallery, Kirkcudbright Galleries, South Block Project Space, and the Art Car Boot Sale at Tramway/SWG3 with Patricia Fleming Gallery. 

She is founder/curator of K U D I R K A non-profit space in Glasgow.

As a creative consultant, Sarah had a decade-long affiliation with Arup built environment engineering firm. As their Inhouse Artist artist Sarah developed "The Penguin Pool" from concept to being a successful global events series held in 15 major cities worldwide. 

Experienced in public-realm art selection and commissioning with developers, architects and local authorities.

Lived Experience

Contemporary artist based in Glasgow. Also a curator, mother, gardener and mender of clothes with repeated wee stitches. 

Devoted to painting full-time now, previously had many dayjobs in parallel to her practice. For a decade working with ARUP engineers, Sarah pivoted her global board-level comms role to being their Artist Inhouse. She founded The Penguin Pool events (managing rollout in 15 major cities worldwide for 23 all different sessions 2011-13)

Born and educated in UK with part of her childhood spent in Kenya, now permanently based in Scotland. Partially deaf/hard of hearing. 

 

Born 1968, England

Qualifications

  • 1991 MA in Sculpture Studies - Distinction, University of Leeds
  • 1990 BA (hons) Fine Art - First class, University of Leeds


Sarah Kudirka (under birth name, Davenport) won a number of early career awards and has exhibited regularly since 1988. Works held in public, corporate and private collections in Austria, Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Spain, UK & USA.

Solo exhibitions:

  • 2026 - Things Left Unsaid, Edelweiss Gallery, Glasgow
  • 2023 - a bowl : a boat, The Briggait, Glasgow
  • 2017- When did you last look up? London Festival of Architecture, Whitechapel
  • 2017 - Berlin City Skies, Laura Lea Art & Design, London
  • 2015 - Paint + Polaroids, Canary Wharf Window Gallery, London
  • 2014 - City Skies, 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 and Stripes, Newlyn Gallery, West Yorkshire
  • 1992 - Country Seat, Lotherton Hall, Leeds City Art Galleries

Group exhibitions:

  • 2026 - Royal Scottish Academy 200th Annual, Edinburgh
  • 2026 - SSA Annual, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
  • 2025 - TOP SP!N, PimPam at South Block Project Space
  • 2025 - Life With Water, An Tobar, Isle of Mull
  • 2024 - SSA Annual, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
  • 2024 - Now and Then, Visual Arts Scotland, Dalkeith Palace
  • 2024 - Lift Others Up, K U D I R K A, Glasgow 
  • 2024 - Blue, Stallan Brand, Glasgow
  • 2023 - 125th Annual SSA Exhibition, The Maclaurin Gallery, Ayr 
  • 2023 - 150 years of The Briggait, 1873 Hall, Glasgow
  • 2023 - Five Installations, The Briggait 1873 Hall, Glasgow
  • 2023 - Building, Low Gallery, Glasgow
  • 2023 - Winter Show, Smithy Gallery, Blanefield
  • 2023 - Kirkcudbright x WASPS, Kirkcudbright Galleries
  • 2022 - Finding the Wonder, Tatha Gallery, Newport-on-Tay
  • 2012 - Stop.Start, SouthBlock Project Space, Glasgow
  • 2019 - ArtCarBootSale, SWG3/Patricia Fleming Gallery, Glasgow
  • 2019 - Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair, Glasgow
  • 2018 - Into The City, Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk
  • 2017 - The Other Art Fair, London
  • 2016 - The Other Art Fair, London
  • 2015 - Introducing, Roseberys, London
  • 2015 - The Other Art Fair, London
  • 2013 - A Postcard From My Studio, Acme Project Space, London
  • 2005 to date, annually - Secret, Royal College of Art, London
  • 2002 - Size Matters, Stephen Lacey Gallery, London
  • 2001 - Larnaca Works Open, London
  • 2001 - Raw Canvas, London
  • 1999 - Artfutures, Contemporary Art Society, London
  • 1998 - Larnaca Studios, Whitechapel Open
  • 1995 - Wessex Open, Southampton City Art Gallery
  • 1994 - Christmas Show, CCA Galleries, Bath
  • 1993 - Young Artists South East, Folkestone Library Gallery
  • 1992 - Art For Sale, The Guardian/Whiteleys
  • 1992 - Young Artists South East, Maidstone Library Gallery
  • 1990 - New Graduates, Yorkshire Television Centre

Projects:

  • Cove Park MicroResidency, Argyll and Bute, August 2024
  • Paper published in journal Studies in Photography, Spring 2021
  • Speaker at National Trust for Scotland Morton Symposium 2020
  • Artist Research Residency, Project Ability, Glasgow, Feb 2018
  • On selection panel for public sculpture commission, London 2017
  • Founder of The Penguin Pool events series for Arup, 2011-13
  • Public Art delivery plan consultancy for architects, developers and select clients
  • Board Member/Trustee of Acme Artists Studios Ltd (charity)  2010-17
  • Managed exhibitions, collection & acquisitions, Matrix Chambers, Gray's Inn
  • Director's Office assistant at Tate Modern, to Sir Nicholas Serota & Vicente Todoli
  • Compiled catalogue raisonne of Austin Wright, funded by The Henry Moore Sculpture Trust. Published in The Sculpture of Austin Wright, James Hamilton, 1994, Lund Humphries/The Henry Moore Foundation

Awards:

  • The Passey Prize in Art, The University of Leeds 1990
  • Light in Art, finalist, The Prudential 1990
  • British Council Major Award 1990
  • Young Artists South East Purchase Prize, Kent Arts & Libraries 1991

Memberships:

Professional Member of the SSA since 2025
Council Member of the Society of Scottish Artists, 2018-21
Member of Scottish Contemporary Art Network

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