Ralph Bristow, Frank Burgers, and Anthea Kemp

23rd Apr – 27th Jun 2021
Simpson Gallery

Northern Abstraction

Northern Abstraction draws together three artists with deep ties to the North East Victorian region to explore their diverse approaches to abstract painting.

Living in Barwite and working from his studio overlooking the Broken River, Ralph Bristow’s paintings are a mindful collage where dimensions are subverted, spontaneity trumps tradition, consciousness streams and colours enter with delight in unexpected associations. There is an urgency in his layering of paint, through which forms and stories emerge.

Based in Wangaratta and practicing from his Bridge Street Studio in Benalla, Frank Burgers explores and challenges Formalist principles. His current work draws on multiple sources of inspiration, ranging from artists such as Robert Jacks and Richard Dunn, to his immediate studio environment and the like-minded creatives who inhabit it.

Working from both memory and direct references, Anthea Kemp’s paintings are grounded in place; exploring the formalities of both representation and abstraction while sitting somewhere in the slippery space between these two approaches. Having grown up on farmland in North East Victoria, Kemp recently completed her Masters of Contemporary Art at the VCA, University of Melbourne.