Solomon Karmel-Shann

Solomon Karmel-Shann is a 24-year-old figurative painter who aims to create open narratives through his depictions of people and objects. He is interested in encouraging viewers to engage with his work by giving them hints of a story but not spelling it out to them. Solomon grew up in Canberra and started creating art in 2014 at the age of 17. He has had no formal training but was mentored by artist Paddy Plasto.

Solomon has been selected as a finalist in several prizes including the Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award in Brisbane (2021), the Camberwell Art Show in Melbourne (2021) and, most recently, the National Capital Art Prize in Canberra (2021). He has also exhibited several paintings at Strathnairn Arts Association (2020-2021). In 2017, he was one of five emerging artists invited to exhibit work at the Big Fat Smile Art Gallery in Wollongong. He has illustrated three books (2018-2020) published by the National Library of Australia.