Solomon Kammer finalist of the 2022 Archibald Prize

10 May 2022

Please join us in congratulating 2022 Archibald finalist Solomon Kammer!

The subject of Solomon Kammer’s portrait, Jamila Main, is a playwright and actor as well as a disability inclusion consultant and activist who demands equal rights and access for people with disability.

‘Jamila and I have been friends for some time now. Our shared experience as disabled artists, suffering the same diseases, has resulted in a natural friendship that is further enriched with kindred values and a deep understanding of our place in this world,’ says Kammer, a first-time Archibald finalist.

There was an easy silence between the friends during the portrait sitting in Kammer’s studio in Tarndanya/Adelaide, where both are based. ‘We knew what we had endured – and that there’s more pain ahead – but our mutual resilience and respect for one another propelled us to unite so we could shed a light on our endeavour, break barriers and pass through the gates of success in our respective professional fields, despite considerable efforts from society to keep us out.’

The Archibald Prize for portrait painting is the Australia’s favourite and most significant art award. Since 1921, the Archibald has spotlighted and celebrated both famous faces and local heroes, reflecting important stories of our time. Each year, the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW judge the Archibald and Wynne, and invite an artist to judge the Sulman.

The finalists for the Archibald will be on show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 14 May 2022.

Artwork: Solomon Kammer, The (Disabled Artist) Hustle, 2022, oil on canvas, 87.6 x 150.2 cm