Van Kempen hails from Balikpapan, Borneo, his hometown where he spent his formative years. Despite no formal training in the arts, he pursued a career in photography and honed his skills as a self-taught artist. In the late 1960s, he became a member of the Professional Association of Visual Artists.
Throughout the 1960s, Van Kempen gained recognition in professional circles as a photographer. In the 1970s, he was part of the core team of videographers at the Lijnbaancentrum in Rotterdam, along with Henk Elenga, Frédéric Kappelhof, and Erik van Dieren.
In 1975, Van Kempen took the initiative to publish small, affordable photo books featuring contemporary photographers under the name Gemeen Goed. The first series of ten books was funded by the municipality of Rotterdam. The premiere book in the series was “De laffe nomaden” with photographs taken by Van Kempen and curated by Henk Elenga.
From 1980 to 2010, Van Kempen worked part-time as a photographer for the Centre for Visual Arts in Rotterdam, and also contributed to various theater productions as a photographer. Between 1981 and 1986, he organized four festivals on performances for Lantaren/Venster. Following this, he and Henk Tas organized a talk show in 1989 for the Rotterdam Centre for Photographic Perspective on the diverse forms and vitality of photography.
In the new millennium, Van Kempen collaborated with Henri van Zanten and Wim van Egmond on the photo theater, presenting a full-color movement painting with choreographer Camilla Ulrich in 2002 at TENT Rotterdam. His work is in the collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, among other prestigious institutions.
www.ftn-books.com has the van Kempen/Mapplethorpe invitation now available.
