KEMP is an intriguing Irish artist, making his debut solo exhibition in New York City.

KEMP digresses from the traditional features of stencil art, which tend to be represented as flat simple modes of mass-communication sprayed in public spaces. By taking the concept from the political and urban sphere into a studio environment, more akin to the screen printing process, he breaks down the customary limiting stencil strucure by creating multiple layers of depth from light through to shadow. He attacks the formal representations of his selected images by re-introducing detail in certain areas and pulling out and accentuating shapes, where the order of dark to light is not always regarded.

KEMP’s unusual colour choices move away from the type of palette often used by other artists of a similar visual nature, generating vibrancy while still using a predominantly muted palette.

During a trip to Ireland, the co-owner of Artsee, Oleg Rabinovich, became aware of KEMP and invited

him to hold his first American exhibit in the unique space that is Artsee, Battery Park City, NYC.

Behind Her Disguise is a collection of seventeen wood-panel iconic visuals of women, as seen through the KEMP filter. This exhibition was inspired by subculture, pop-art and the cult of celebrity. KEMP emphasises eyes and lips, while preserving the subject’s beauty as other features are flattened, obscured or masked. In selecting the subjects for the exhibition, KEMP chose sometimes beautiful, sometimes dysfunctional, sometimes disturbed women. He elicits an alternative underlying meaning during the process of production, as reflected in the titles of the pieces. KEMP invites the viewer to climb into a piece, wander around and unveil the truth behind her disguise.

KEMP is excited and honoured to introduce the city of New York to his collection and is enthusiastic about building connections with the city and its inhabitants as inspirations for his future work.