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.”