Michael Kemp - Biography
Michael Kemp was born in Warragul, Victoria, and spent his formative years on the Mornington Peninsula. From an early age, he produced detailed black-and-white drawings of birds and animals from photographs, later painting directly from nature and developing psychological portraits of those around him. He studied painting and printmaking at Victoria College, Prahran. Throughout his career, Kemp’s work has consistently engaged with questions of social and cultural norms, and the ways in which individuals both conform to and resist them.
Kemp’s practice is characterised by a sustained exploration of contrast between structured certainty and ambiguity. His compositions are carefully planned and constructed, yet remain open to transformation as each work evolves. Traces of these transformations are retained within the surface of the painting, creating a visible history of the process and reconsiderations.
His palette, dominated by earthy tones, seeks out tensions, such as warmth and coolness, light and dark, order and ambiguity, certainty and fragility, etc. Through these contrast, Kemp’s work evokes a rich emotional and psychological resonance.
In recent years, Kemp has drawn inspiration from images of individuals captured in police mugshots and surveillance cameras and CCTV footage. His interest lies not in moral evaluation but in revealing the inherent ambiguities and contradictions of human experience. Through these images, he examines the tension between accepted social structures and the subjective human condition.
Solo Exhibitions
2022 - Meander at Ryazanoff gallery in Albert Park, Vic
2020 - Cacophony’s Filter at Ryazanoff gallery in Albert Park, Vic
2020 - Current Works at Ryazanoff gallery in Albert Park, Vic
2019 - Ambiguitude at Ryazanoff gallery in Albert Park, Vic
1993 - Euphoric Coalface at Artists Garden, Fitzroy, Vic
Group Exhibitions
2023 - Group show, Meeniyan Art Gallery, Meeniyan, Vic
2023 - Contemporary Drawing Biennale, Polish art Foundation
2023 - Omnia, St Kevin’s College, Toorak, Vic
2023 - Rutherglen Tastes of Art Prize, Rutherglen, Vic
2014 - The Christmas Show at Cambridge Gallery, Collingwood, Vic
2014 - The Postcard Show at Linden Gallery, St Kilda, Vic
2014 - Who’s looking at you? at Cambridge Gallery, Collingwood
2013 - The Postcard Show at Linden Gallery, St Kilda, Vic
2013 - Albert Park College Art Show, Vic
2013 - Art Blitz, Kingston Art Centre, Moorabbin, Vic
2012 - Albert Park College Art Show, Vic
1987 - Drawing Exhibition, Mornington Peninsula Art Centre, Vic (Work Purchased)
1986 - Printmakers Exhibition, Mornington Peninsula Art Centre, Vic (Work Purchased)
1985 - Image and Voice at Victoria College, Prahran, Vic
Awards
2023 - Contemporary Drawing Biennale, Polish art Foundation (First prize)
2023 - Rutherglen Tastes of Art Prize (Packing Prize. Highly Commended award)
2014 - Who’s looking at you? Cambridge Gallery (Collingwood People’s choice award)
2013 - Albert Park College Art Show (Painting, First Prize)
2013 - Art Blitz, Kingston Art Centre, Moorabbin, Vic (Second Prize)
2012 - Albert Park College Art Show, Vic (Mixed Media, First Prize)