Installation view of Carel Brest van Kempen’s BIODIVERGENT at Finch Lane Gallery in Salt Lake City. Image by Nolan Flynn.

Walking into Finch Lane Gallery, one is immediately struck by the sheer scope of Carel Brest van Kempen’s work, by what feels like a lifetime of meticulous observation and dedication to painting. BIODIVERGENT presents an extensive range of pieces, oscillating between hyperrealistic renderings of wildlife and surreal, metaphor-laden compositions that highlight the intricate interdependence of ecosystems. His paintings demand attention, despite his own insistence—“Don’t look at these paintings, walk out the door and look up into the trees,” his artist statement instructs. It is a call to experience nature directly, rather than through an artistic filter, a sentiment reminiscent of J. A. Baker’s obsessive quest to observe, follow, and even become one with the animals he studied in his classic environmental work The Peregrine. Similarly, Brest van Kempen has spent his life walking the Wasatch, absorbing the land’s rhythms since childhood, forging a practice rooted in intimate experience rather than distant admiration.

Each piece is a masterclass in detail. From the delicate rendering of leaves (or rather “solar panels,” as he describes them) to the precise articulation of scales, feathers, and fur, no element is left without careful intention. Brest van Kempen presents what he refers to as “microcosms of a larger global ecosystem,” positioning his paintings within a broader dialogue about the natural world and humanity’s place within it. His work range from dreamlike hybrids, as when animals with vibrantly-hued patterned fur are juxtaposed against urban murals with coffee cup stains, to piercing social commentaries: In “Undocumented,” a Green Jay perches on razor wire, evoking the entanglement of nature and human intervention, migration, and animals seeking new silage beyond their typical regions. These juxtapositions emphasize the shifting landscapes of both wildlife and human existence, challenging the viewer to reconsider artificial divisions between species, territories, and survival itself.

Carel Brest van Kempen, “Undocumented-Green Jay,” acrylic, 11×14 in.

Detail of Carel Brest van Kempen’s “Phototrope.” Image by Nolan Flynn.

Among the many striking pieces, “Phototrope” positions a fragile sea turtle against an expanse of sand, the turtle’s delicate form making its way toward the darkened ocean in the dead of night. In the background, the ominous glow of an oil refinery’s flare stacks disrupts the horizon, a visual metaphor for the competing forces of nature and industry. The painting’s breathtaking attention to light and texture transforms a seemingly simple composition into a profound statement on environmental fragility. The turtle, bathed in soft luminescence, becomes a symbol of resilience, a tenuous existence set against the looming specter of human impact.

Carel Brest van Kempen, “Biophilia II,” acrylic, 24×18 in.

Conversely, “Biophilia II” delivers an intimate, arresting portrait of an aged orangutan, its deep-set eyes following the viewer throughout the gallery. There is an unmistakable plea in its gaze, a request for recognition and responsibility, as if urging us to reconsider our role in the preservation of its world, our world. The wrinkled, timeworn face speaks of knowledge beyond language, of an ancient wisdom that human beings, in their pursuit of progress, seem to have long abandoned. This piece, like many in the exhibition, carries an unspoken dialogue, an invitation to reflect on our shared existence with the creatures Brest van Kempen so meticulously portrays.

His works range from purely naturalistic, celebrating the beauty of unspoiled wildlife, to pieces like “Interface II,” where the impact of human technology becomes a central theme. This painting captures pedestrians engrossed in their devices, oblivious to the raw drama of a peregrine falcon diving into a flock of pigeons. The contrast between the virtual and the visceral, the mediated and the immediate, raises questions about our modern detachment from the natural world. In an age where most of us experience nature through screens, Brest van Kempen challenges us to confront what is lost when direct engagement is replaced by digital simulation.

Brest van Kempen’s approach is at once deeply researched and profoundly intuitive. He has spent countless hours in the field, studying animals in their native habitats, bringing a level of authenticity to his work that is impossible to fabricate. The precise layering of acrylics, the masterful manipulation of transparency, and the micro-detailing of fur and feathers all contribute to an astonishing level of realism, one that even the most discerning critic would be hard-pressed to challenge. Yet his realism is not merely technical, it is an act of devotion, an attempt to translate lived experience into a visual language that speaks beyond words. The exhibition situates the viewer within a spectrum of emotions: wonder, admiration and an underlying sense of urgency. Through Brest van Kempen’s lens, we are simultaneously invited to marvel at the richness of the natural world and confronted with its vulnerability. Ultimately, his work serves as both an invitation and a challenge: to observe more closely, to step outside, to engage with nature not as passive spectators but as active stewards. His work does not simply document life; it insists on it.

Installation view of Carel Brest van Kempen’s BIODIVERGENT at Finch Lane Gallery in Salt Lake City. Image by Nolan Flynn.

Carel Brest van Kempen: BIODIVERGENT, Finch Lane Gallery, Salt Lake City, through February 21. Closing Reception: Friday, February 21, 6-9 pm.

Nolan Flynn

Raised in a creative Michigan household, Nolan Patrick Flynn developed an early passion for art. He moved to Utah to pursue an MFA at the University of Utah and continues to create art out of his Salt Lake City studio and teach high school art at Stansbury High School.