Kirstin Mackinnon - Full Interview
Reclaiming space for women in contemporary painting.
Scotland-based artist Kirstin Mackinnon graduated in 2023 with a first-class honours degree in Fine Art.
Since then, she has gained recognition for her painting and writing through acquisitions, awards and publications. Her figurative oil paintings have featured in prominent galleries including the Royal Scottish Academy. Kirstin’s acclaimed work saw her achieve Semi-Finalist status in Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year, 2024. She was selected as feature artist for the Glasgow Art Club from February to March 2025 and for Homes & Interiors Scotland magazine in their annual collector’s edition, Spring 2025.
Kirstin’s work notably focuses on gender equality in contemporary painting. The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh recently commissioned her to create a painting that promotes gender equality in the surgical field. The artwork, set to be unveiled in April 2025, is part of Surgeons’ Hall Museums’ Women in Surgery initiative, which aims to boost the representation of women in its collection.
Kirstin often uses humour to challenge the continuing gender imbalance in the art world. Her paintings encourage the viewer to question how different genders are viewed, represented and portrayed in art, and why society values their works differently.