Jochen Lempert

Jochen Lempert, a German photographer, focuses his lens on the realm of nature and the animal kingdom in his artistic endeavors.

Biography of Jochen Lempert

Jochen Lempert was born in 1958 in Moers, Germany. Initially trained as a biologist, Lempert transitioned to photography later in his career.

From 1978 to 1989, he studied Film & film-performances with the group Schmelzdahin. From 1980 to 1988, Jochen Lempert attended Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn, where he studied Biology.

Lempert has received various awards and grants during his career. Among them are Ars Viva 95/96 Photographie (1995), Arbeitsstipendium Schloß Bleckede (1997), Edwin-Scharff Preis der Stadt Hamburg (2006), Camera Austria Award for Contemporary Photography by the City of Graz (2017). 

His recent solo exhibitions include "Jochen Lempert, Lingering sensations" at C/O Berlin in Berlin (2023), "Natural Sources" at Grey Noise Gallery in Dubai (2023), "Visible Light" at ProjecteSD in Barcelona (2021), and many more.

Lempert's works have been featured in numerous group shows, including "Parliament of Plants II" at Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein in Liechtenstein (2023), "Photographic Pictures" at Anton Kern Gallery in New York (2022), "The Point of Sculpture" at Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona (2021), among others.

Currently, the artist resides in Hamburg, Germany.

Jochen Lempert's Art Style

Jochen Lempert captures the animal kingdom in a multitude of settings, ranging from their natural habitats to urban landscapes, from museums of natural history to zoos. His extensive collection of images encompasses everything from ordinary everyday scenes to compositions veering towards abstraction. Beyond his fascination with the natural world, Lempert delves into the properties and materiality of the photographic medium itself, employing analogue techniques and hand-printing in the darkroom. His photographs defy easy categorization, challenging contemporary aesthetic norms.

In his exhibitions, Lempert strategically arranges and scales his photographs to engage with the exhibition space. Each placement is deliberate, seeking out connections and associations, revealing subtle correspondences. Through these arrangements, Lempert offers fresh perspectives on humanity's position within the patterns, structures, and even the chaos or order of the natural world.