Kenneth Lambert: Artist Statement & Bio

Kenneth Lambert’s experimental practice embraces disintegrated matter and the inexorable expressions that reflect the human condition. Lambert’s conceptual approach captures the contemporary zeitgeist by transposing themes found in science to illuminate current social issues and rising anxieties of our time. At the intersection of technology and the humanities, the artist’s investigations have led to works utilising particle acceleration to relate to climate change and data translation technology to investigate digital autonomy. Lambert’s cross-disciplinary practice encompasses digital, film, expanded drawing, painting, installation and performance.

Kenneth Lambert is a contemporary artist born in Cape Town, South Africa, who migrated to Australia at age 10, settling in the western suburbs of Sydney. With a background in museums, design, and filmmaking, his conceptually driven practice resides at the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and technology. He frequently employs data and scientific methods to generate works across multiple disciplines, including physical and digital works, progressively realised as performative and installation works.

In 2001, he co-founded Ink, a creative company specializing in design and branding for broadcast media. Lambert has developed numerous unique media brands as a creative lead, including SBS Studio and Foxtel Arts. His creative journey encompasses spatial design, starting as a museum designer (The Earth Exchange, Sydney, Australia, and the Museum of Creativity, Santa Monica, USA), and later transitioning into motion design and branding. He has created over 100 media brands across 12 countries and four continents in this role.

In 2008, he established Sheepish Lion, a company specializing in storytelling content for film and video production. He has garnered over 150 awards for his creative excellence as an international designer and director. His creativity has been displayed in museums, achieved “Best of Show” at local and international award shows, and featured in numerous creative-focused magazines, both online and in print.

Lambert leverages his diverse skills in his artistic practice, with a professional background that includes museum and exhibition design and filmmaking. Since 2016, he has exhibited regularly in solo and group shows with Australian ARI and commercial galleries, including Artereal, Articulate project space, COMA, and Galerie pompom. His work has been showcased in award shows in Australia, USA and the UK. In 2019, he was the Grand Prix Prize Winner of the One-Self competition, leading to his work Data Blue being featured at the Scope Art Fair in Miami. In Australia, he has been a finalist in the Churchie Emerging Artist Prize, The Alice Prize, Dobell Drawing Prize, Incinerator Gallery Prize - Art for Social Change, The Fisher’s Ghost Prize, Kilgour Art Prize, Mosan Art Prize, Lumen Prize, Mullens Conceptual Photography Prize.

Lambert has also engaged in artist residency programs, receiving the 2018 Newington Armory Residency Prize. In 2019, he completed his first international residency at Arteles Creative Centre, Finland, and in 2021/22, he completed two consecutive residencies with the National Trust-NSW. In 2022, he developed an arts strategy for Amnesty International Australia through a self-directed residency. He also received grants from Creative Australia and CreateNSW for his project Stasis, a collaboration with STARTTS NSW, supported by Amnesty International and UNHCR. The exhibition was presented at Verge Gallery a 12-channel immersive installation featuring data portraits of youths conveying their experiences as asylum seekers and refugees in Australia. The project was showcased on SBS nightly news in conjunction with Agnès Callamard, the esteemed French human-rights activist and Secretary General of Amnesty International visit to Australia.