Some artists inherit studios, others inherit archives. Solomon Souza inherited something far more complicated: A name that carries both lineage and expectation. Yet his work has never leaned on nostalgia. Instead, it pulses with urgency: graphic, immediate, emotionally charged. From painting illegally on city walls to exhibiting in formal galleries — including his recent debut at Cymroza Art Gallery in Mumbai — the British-Israeli street artist has forged a language that feels rooted in the street but capable of holding deeper interior worlds. In this conversation with Robb Report India, Souza reflects on finding his voice, living with legacy, and why painting remains less a profession than a necessity.
Solomon Souza: When I started painting murals in the street, people would approach me and tell me they recognised my work, mentioning other pieces they had seen around town. These days, I do a variety of work and experiment with many media and techniques. I think some of it would definitely be hard, for the untrained eye, to place as mine, but I like to believe my unique flavour can still be tasted.
SS: It’s always different. Sometimes, an image or composition pops into my mind, and I scramble for a pen and paper to develop it. Sometimes, the mood will dictate what imagery comes to mind. And the other times, I want to make a particular point or statement. Everything, however, begins with a thought.
SS: It all depends on which side of the bed I wake up on. I must be honest — I have struggled with discipline in many aspects of my life. Even when it comes to painting, something my soul requires of me, I battle constantly with procrastination and excuses. Yet I have a family that needs me, and the responsibilities and consequences that come with it have taught me to practise commitment and take myself seriously.
The sweetest hours of the day are spent with my children, playing, laughing, fathering. When they are finally asleep, I retreat to the seclusion of my studio to get on with the night’s work. Somehow, by a miracle I like to believe, I find myself painting prolifically.
SS: From a young age, I knew my grandfather was an artist, but then again, practically everyone in my family is — from my mother, in whose studio I grew up, to my aunts and cousins. But it wasn’t until my mid-teens that I started to realise how big a deal my grandfather actually was. I heard strangers speak his name with reverence, in hushed tones, as if it were a golden secret not to be said too loudly. I saw the shows, the sales, the fancy people dressed in their finest, flaunting their chequebooks for a piece of my grandfather. That is when I realised.
SS: It has been a blessing and a curse. Being a Souza has opened many doors in my life, but I have found, on rare occasions, that it sometimes shuts them. People are sometimes perturbed when they hear I am also an artist, perhaps automatically assuming I am attempting to piggyback on my grandfather’s name and hard work. But the fact is, it has been my own work that has taken me around the world, painting across the globe and back again.
The vast majority of people who collect my work so far have absolutely no idea who my grandfather is. They collect my work not because it is painted by FN Souza’s grandson, but because it is painted by Solomon Souza.
SS: The response to my debut show at Cymroza has been amazing — far beyond what I had anticipated. It showed me that India takes its art seriously. There is a great, growing appreciation for art and creativity in India, and it was a real pleasure to get a taste of it.
SS: I hopefully have many more years to think about this, and maybe I will change my mind in the future, but I don’t think legacies are something to dwell on too much while you live. You must remain in the here and now.
Live life, play the game, run the race — and if you do your best with all your might, your legacy will write itself. What people will say about me when I am gone is of no real concern — I just hope my children are proud of me!