Marketa Kemp
Born in Prague, Czech Republic, contemporary painter Marketa Kemp now permanently resides in Melbourne, Australia.
Although having received no formal training, she has studied with various artists and cultural institutions in Australia and abroad including The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in Greece and Australian artist Wayne Viney, who introduced her to printmaking in 2017.
Marketa finds inspiration in landscapes that have left a deep impression on her, places rich in atmosphere, hidden life and mystery.
Printmaking, monotypes, in particular, has quickly become Marketa’s passion. She is drawn to the unique quality of the mono (one-off) print and the level of unpredictability the process presents. More recently she has been exploring more unconventional mediums, particularly ink painting on polymer paper.
“My work is always evolving, fluid and generally open process. I start with an idea or subject, put down the basics and allow the rest to develop organically and freely without being fixated too much on the end result. Because of this, my work contains somewhat abstract elements.”
Over the past two years, Marketa has been a finalist in several art awards including the inaugural Megalo International Print Prize in Canberra and has had her work shown as part of group exhibitions in galleries around Melbourne. She is currently represented by Mesh Fine Art Gallery in Chicago.