Layering is a recurring theme in Kemps’ oeuvre. On one hand, he frequently employs semi-transparent and reflective materials in his work. On the other hand, his sculptures often contain multiple layers – photographic prints are “trapped” in glass, and multiple layers of imagery are overlaid. Additionally, Kemps adds a new layer of meaning through the titles he bestows upon his work.
Through his art, Kemps explores various forms and ideas of space. What is presupposed in displaying art? What is presupposed in having access to it? How does a viewer experience art in physical space? And in the realm of conceptual art, how does a viewer experience space in the idea of a museum?
In the 1980s, Kemps experimented with the concept of a hidden museum, which he virtually constructed using a 3D drawing program. He turns things inside out and reverses the order and fixed patterns. What happens if you hang a print of a virtual space on the virtual wall within the virtual space? Typically, a work that is hung on the wall occupies physical space, but what if the suggestion is made that one can also enter it? In that case, the thing that takes up space suddenly provides space: a play between virtual, physical, and mental space.
In his more recent work, exemplified by Dissolved and Flawlessly Tingled (2015), Kemps combines the classical idea of a sculpture with prints of virtual installations. Dissolved and Flawlessly Tingled consists of fifteen polyester walls, against which five prints are placed. These prints depict virtual museum rooms containing virtual works that are found throughout the space – on the ceiling, lying flat on the ground, and standing at an angle. The virtual works depicted on the physical prints also show spaces where similar prints are displayed. This leads to questions such as, what is the work, what is the work within the work, and what is reflection? In other words, what do you see, what can you see, and what do you think you can (or cannot) see?
www.ftn-books.com has several titles on Kemps now available.
