Michael Kempson

The Question (50x40cm) Etching from the Cycle Series

On entering his exhibition ‘The Cycle’ the thing that hit me first was the complexity and detail of the work. Michael’s work is executed with a high degree of skill (he is actually the head printmaking teacher at Meadowbank TAFE College of Fine Art). His pictures work on more than one level - as purely visual images they are aesthetically pleasing, the draughtsmanship and execution is second to none and the colours are vivid, rich and deep, but they also work on a deeper emotional level. Michael’s symbolism, as it relates to his experiences around life and death, also leads the viewer to contemplate their own feelings on the subject matter and to draw their own conclusions from the symbols.

‘The Right Of The World’, an image with deep, rich colouring and text from the book of Genesis, for me brought up images of the repressed Catholic society in which I grew up. The word ‘Right’ for me refers to the utter conviction some religious people have that their own brand of religion is the ‘right’ one and their assumed ‘right’ to impose that belief on others. Michael probably had something different in mind when he titled this piece, but that’s what it means to this repressed Irish catholic!

Random Selections (50x40cm) Etching from the Cycle Series

The rich colours in his works also invite personal interpretation. In the picture ‘Son’, which shows a shaky, childlike drawing of a hand in which there is an image of a child’s face inside a sun shape, the bright but delicate floral colours seem to me to suggest the fragility of life but also a certain optimism. This contrasts heavily with the picture ‘Moon’ which hangs beside it and uses sombre colours and has a hand clearly defined and containing the image of a skull. This picture seems to talk about the fate that awaits us - that big art critic in the sky! Unlike the shaky unsure hand in the previous picture this one is well defined - it is all there to see quite clearly, the life has been lived and there is nothing more left to chance. The moon is what shines when the day is over and the light of the sun has died.

Michael’s works are not sombre or depressing, even the ones that deal directly with death. There is a feeling of acceptance, calm observation and questioning. “What’s it all about?’ Michael isn’t arrogant enough to attempt to give us a definitive answer to this question, instead he merely presents us with his own impressions and confusions.

Personally, my own sentiments on ‘The Big Question’ are - Eat, drink and be merry today for tomorrow we die. But then again, when I eventually get in that Great Chrome Elevator to the sky and ride it up to the top floor I’ll probably be greeted by a booming voice that says “WRONG FLOOR MATE, PRESS THE BUTTON MARKED L.G.”!        

Immortality (Etching - 70x50cm)

Michael Kempson’s work can be viewed by appointment at the refreshingly unpretentious Michael Nagy Gallery (159 Victoria St, Potts Point, Sydney Ph. 02 9368 1152).

David Cotter