Field Guide

The Contemporary Art Gallery presents the first major museum exhibition in Canada devoted to the celebrated German photographer Jochen Lempert. Trained as a biologist, Lempert photographs plants, animals, and other natural phenomena with both scientific acumen and a poetic appreciation of natural beauty. His approach is scientific as well as humorous. Always taken in black and white, his work engages with a diverse range of subjects and genres, ranging from everyday views to abstracted details. Photographic series alternate with single pictures, through which multiple links and subtle associations are woven.

Ranging from medium-sized to tiny prints, the exhibition comprises Lempert’s now classic repertoire of flora and fauna and focuses on a range of work produced over the last five years that examines the indexical nature of photography, notions of time and connections to the history of image making, mutability, classification, and materiality. The subject of Lempert’s work—animal life—is complemented by his exploration of the properties and materiality of the photographic image, as revealed in its developing and printing processes. While seemingly serendipitous, Lempert nevertheless pursues a very clear goal and aesthetic. His is a very careful, subtle world.

Organized by the Contemporary Art Gallery in collaboration with the Cincinnati Art Museum.
The exhibition is generously supported by Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e.V. and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Vancouver.