Papay Solomon

Region: West

I paint young people of the African Diaspora. More than simply replicating my participants on larger-than-life surfaces, I seek to understand and employ their characteristics. These young people, often dressed in both Western and African attire, act as symbols of the connection of cultures. Not only do I investigate the diaspora divide, I also celebrate the newfound identities of its people.

In style, I blur the boundaries between Figurative Hyperrealism and Non Finito. I approach each work in a very selective manner: some sections are fully painted while others are left untouched to reveal skeletal pencil drawings. Additionally, I invite the viewer into another dimension through cutouts found on the surface, thereby making the surface itself “incomplete.”