Solomon Kammer The (disabled artist) hustle

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.’