In Solitude, Ian Kemp
Published on 11 November 2024
A new exhibition of stunning photographs by Ian Kemp will be launched at 2pm on Saturday 23 November at Central Goldfields Art Gallery.
Ian Kemp took up photography by joining the Maryborough camera club at a time of solitude in his life and as a way of developing new and creative forms of expression. He has now devoted himself to the art form for the past 7 years.
Kemp is known to many locals as once Vice Principal of Maryborough Education Centre.
The exhibition explores Kemp’s broad fascination with the medium including still life images, landscapes, portraits and his iconic image of the Maryborough Railway Station (below). The recurrent theme of his work is the idea of being ‘in solitude’, and the associated transience of human life.
As Kemp explains, “Nothing lasts forever: not things, not people, not times. When you are looking at my work you will see a great deal of symbolism. There will be flowers that last for such a short period of time, they are a metaphor for our human lives. There are landscapes that dwarf you when you stand in them and you feel the almighty power of nature and the insignificance of yourself as an individual. And there are still life images that reflect the grief that I worked through in solitude as I tried to resolve what it meant to live a meaningful life after my wife died.”
Central Goldfields Shire Council Interim CEO Sally Jones said that Ian’s exhibition complimented the Gallery’s diverse offering of artwork.
“Ian Kemp’s work brings an intensely personal view of his life’s vision, complimenting the work of our young people in the EMERGENT exhibition and our Art of Gold exhibition on loan from the National Gallery of Australia with support from the Australian Government as part of Sharing the National Collection.”
“We’re presenting a beautiful, full picture of our region’s culture and diverse creativity. It’s one of the great advantages of our multi-space Gallery, that it can unify or contrast the many exhibitions it brings to our Shire.
Sharing his photographs publicly through an exhibition is important to Kemp, especially in Maryborough where he lived for so much of his life. He will provide a number of engaging talks over the course of his exhibition - much enjoyed in many of the public and commercial art galleries where he has previously been displayed. Ian will also speak at the official exhibition opening on Saturday 23 November.
These events are free, including refreshments and everyone is welcome to come and join in.
Photographs in the exhibition are for sale and the exhibition will be on display until Sunday 2 February 2025.
Central Goldfields Art Gallery is in the Old Fire Station, 1 Neill Street, Maryborough. The Gallery is open from Thursday to Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm, and entry is free.