SARAH DRINAN
b. 1994, AustraliaSarah Drinan (b. 1994, Australia) is a figurative painter whose work explores the complexities of the body — its vulnerability, desires, unease, resistance, and messiness. Drawing on her background in mental health occupational therapy and the rich history of figurative painting, Drinan explores the body as a site of physical and emotional experience, shaped by narratives, systems, and environments.
Her fleshy compositions draw from a diverse image bank, including sketches, personal snapshots, internet archives, historical figurative art, digital media and modelling apps. These figures often appear fluid and shifting, evoking a state of transcendence — bodies in flux, oscillating between the human and mythical. Drinan’s work gestures toward a body rooted in sensation and transformation, reflecting on the fluidity of identity and the tension between constraint and liberation, the known and the unknown.
Drinan was selected as a finalist for the 2023 Ramsay Art Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Australia’s most generous prize for artists under 40, and as a two-time finalist for the Brett Whitley Travelling Art Scholarship in 2022 and 2021. In 2022, she was awarded the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship Residency at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley. Her work is held in private and public collections, including Artbank, Australia.
Text courtesy Ames Yavuz.
View Sarah Drinan's Artworks
Explore and Follow Artists Shaping Contemporary Art
A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services