Mika Solomon ^{Emerging artist}

Artist's country of origin: Latvia

Solomon was born in Portland, Oregon, but holds Latvian citizenship due to their mother’s family heritage. They recently presented their diploma work in the Master’s drawing specialization department of the Latvian Academy of Art. This diploma project centered on utilizing drawing techniques to visualize emotions, feelings, and affect within their apartment. By integrating fantasy and nature-inspired abstractions into images of their living space, they explored the unseen elements and interactions within the environment. Acknowledging all items in the apartment as active participants in a web of affective exchange, their visual research departed from an anthropocentric view that places the human inhabitant dominantly above household belongings, instruments, and utilities.

The topics they often work with include sensory materialization, fantasy and imagination, and playing with harmony. Their Bachelor’s diploma work resulted in a book that is now part of the special collections library at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2024, they participated in the group exhibition “Parēja” at the Pilot Gallery in Rīga, Latvia.