“I’m a witness, an observer and my work is a reflection of that. I’m inspired by society in general, and specifically by people, their movements and emotions. These themes transcend national and international boundaries. There is an irony in my work since to the eye of the viewer there is a certain beauty, but often the underlying meaning is much deeper. My intention is to make the viewer react, to get the viewer involved in the process.”
Semp
SEMP
Semp (né Philippe H. Semprez), is an international artist born in the Loire Valley of France in 1950. He received his education in France and Switzerland before moving to the United States to study film and sculpture in the seventies. Since then he has traveled and lived in different parts of the world, while keeping bases in the U.S. and France.
From an early age, Semp was drawn to the romanticism and freedom of nomadic people, and thus adopted a similar lifestyle of movement. Change for him is a positive force, one in which he receives creative inspiration. As an outsider, he is always free to observe and his work often reflects this voyeuristic analysis. Perhaps as a result of this movement, his work over the years has often reflected issues of creating balance within chaos, questions of personal freedom and privacy.
Semp works in a variety of media including painting, sculpture and photography, his works are included in private collections in Europe, North America, and Asia. He also works in collaboration with his wife Patricia Semprez on installations and video, together they are known as PP Semp.
PP SEMP
PP Semp is the husband and wife collaborative team of Semp (Philippe Semprez) and Patricia O. Semprez. The French-American/American-French couple collaborate in art, video and design projects. Their life together represents a seamless weaving together of all those creative elements. They split their time between the United States and France.
Their art projects, which typically involve both video and installation, often have themes that center around nature, spirituality and consciousness. Their works shown internationally, frequently relay a universal message of humankind’s movement towards a higher level of connectedness with a definite reverence for the wisdom of indigenous cultures.
