Georges Soler

Local Contemporary Art Prize 2025 – Finalist

Image courtesy of the artist. Photo by Marguerite de Mosa.

Georges Soler | Pause | 2025 | mixed media on marine plywood | 122 x 90cm

2025 marks 20 years since I established myself in the Sunshine Coast region. Over this period, I’ve built a house and studio deep in the Hinterland. This beautiful place has brought me an increasingly embodied sense of presence and belonging.

In recent years my art practice has expanded and deepened to engage my memories and discoveries about my ancestral origins in Spain, North Africa, and Croatia. My ongoing explorations through DNA, historical archives and connections to ancestral places are a rich source of imagery which emerges into my artwork.

This self-portrait catches me in a moment of wonder and reflection at the uncovering of deeper aspects of my essential identity.