07/09/2026
Anthea Kemp: What’s found behind and stays attached
Linden Projects Space
Until 27 September 2026
‘What’s found behind and stays attached’ presents a series of responsive paintings that reflect my ongoing interest in land conservation and the ways ecological knowledge can be expressed through painting. This body of work is the outcome of my time as the recipient of the Urbach Scholarship at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) Shepparton Art Museum (SAM)
Over three months, I spent time immersed in the conservation work of the Euroa Arboretum and the Goulburn Broken Indigenous Seed Bank on the land of the Taungurung people, while also developing my painting practice in the SAM studio. My intention was to learn from and engage directly with the regenerative actions occurring at these sites. These experiences became the foundation for a studio process grounded in observation, intuition, and material response.
Returning to the studio, I created numerous oil studies on loose canvas—an exploratory process that allowed me to attune to the forms, rhythms, and colour palettes of the environments I had been spending time in. These informal works became a space to test mark-making and compositional approaches influenced by native plant forms and shifting ecological conditions.
The final works emerge from this process. They oscillate between abstraction and representation, drawing on the forms of native species such as Themeda triandra (Kangaroo Grass), Eucalyptus microcarpa (Grey Box), and Banksia marginata (Silver Banksia). These plants serve as visual and conceptual anchors within each composition.
Through these paintings—situated between research, reflection, and response—I hope to highlight the critical role of land conservation and to evoke a deeper awareness of our shared responsibility in caring for and regenerating ecological systems.
Thea Kemp
