Silent Chords: Nuan Ho, Sol Karmel Shann, Jess Miller, Lauri Smith

18 June - 11 July 2026
Silent Chords brings together four artists who explore the reflective subconscious through figurative portraiture and still life. Through enigmatic and often distorted forms, each artist reveals a deeply personal interior world. Expressive brushwork, textured sculptures, and subtly unsettling atmospheres blur the boundaries between reality and perception, softly connecting viewers into a space of introspection.

Lauri Smith is a Sydney-based sculptor predominantly working in a surreal mode, with a significant influence of hyperrealism and magic realism. She dives into the depths of the subconscious, exploring the intricate relationship between dreams, visions, and the waking worlds. Her pieces are usually inspired by her vivid dreams and visions, with a curiosity about these non-physical entities and their connection to reality. Lauri's art often mimics realism, such as her use of silicone and human hair, as well as representations re-created in stone and resins. The process is all handmade and usually begins from an initial inspiration to the drawing, sculpting, mould-making, casting, painting and finishing, these creatures take on a life of their own.

Sol Karmel-Shann is a figurative artist based in Canberra, Australia. He paints portraits in oils, working intuitively until an image and mood start to unfold. His expressive use of brush strokes, texture and colour further develops the painting’s mood. The sensitivity and depth of feeling with which he paints a person’s facial expression, body language and context is arresting. The viewer cannot help but wonder about that particular subject’s unique character and life in that moment.

Nuan Ho is a Sydney-based painter working within the tradition of figurative painting. Guided by a longstanding interest in the portrait, his practice engages with the depiction of the human figure. His work reveals an ongoing fascination with uncovering the unspeakable aspects of the human psyche. By casting a light onto historical archives, his works urge viewers to confront the harrowing side of humanity that resides in all of us…

Jess Miller is a figurative oil painter from Perth, Australia. Her new body of work sits between domestic theatre and the small endeavours that make up a day: grabbing a coffee, walking in the park, groceries, a table with friends, and the stretches of daydreaming in between. She favours celebrating the unspectacular—moments that pass without ceremony—and the textures that anchor them: fabric, flooring, objects that imply routine. The paintings are pared back and slow, looking for the seam where ordinary time turns quietly into bliss.


Please direct enquiries to:

E: info@cbdgallery.com.au

P: 0450 130 422



  • Lauri Smith, Gloria's Nightly Dance, 2025
    Lauri Smith
    Gloria's Nightly Dance, 2025
    Silicone, hair, dried flowers and resin
    110 x 80 x 110cm
    Courtesy of CBDGallerySYD
  • Lauri Smith, Dawn's Visitors , 2025
    Lauri Smith
    Dawn's Visitors , 2025
    Silicone, hair and resin
    95 x 55 x 46cm
    Courtesy of CBDGallerySYD
  • Lauri Smith, Dawn , 2025
    Lauri Smith
    Dawn , 2025
    Stone and Copper
    18 x 10 x 30cm
    Courtesy of CBDGallerySYD
  • Lauri Smith, Portal, 2025
    Lauri Smith
    Portal, 2025
    Glass
    26 x 20 x 10cm
    Courtesy of CBDGallerySYD
  • Sol Karmel-Shann, untitled, 2024
    Sol Karmel-Shann
    untitled, 2024
    Oil on canvas
    43 x 50.5cm
  • Sol Karmel-Shann, untitled, 2023
    Sol Karmel-Shann
    untitled, 2023
    Oil on canvas
    45.5 x 63cm
  • Sol Karmel-Shann, Between Two Windows, 2022
    Sol Karmel-Shann
    Between Two Windows, 2022
    Oil on canvas
    101 x 101cm
  • Sol Karmel-Shann, Too Much, 2024
    Sol Karmel-Shann
    Too Much, 2024
    Oil on canvas
    20 x 20cm
  • Sol Karmel-Shann, ITCHY, 2024
    Sol Karmel-Shann
    ITCHY, 2024
    Oil on canvas
    28 x 19.5cm
  • Sol Karmel-Shann, Moment II, 2023
    Sol Karmel-Shann
    Moment II, 2023
    Oil on Canvas
    20 x 20cm
    Courtesy of CBDGallerySYD
  • Nuan Ho, Inheritance (fragments), 2026
    Nuan Ho
    Inheritance (fragments), 2026
    Oil on wood panel, artist's frame
    35 x 35cm
  • Nuan Ho, House of Cards ||, 2023
    Nuan Ho
    House of Cards ||, 2023
    Oil on wood panel, artist's frame
    35 x 35cm
    Courtesy of CBDGallerySYD
  • Nuan Ho, Studio Fever, 2023
    Nuan Ho
    Studio Fever, 2023
    Oil on canvas
    158 x 138cm
  • Nuan Ho, Inherited Silence, 2025
    Nuan Ho
    Inherited Silence, 2025
    Oil and wood stain on canvas, artist's frame
    50 x 40cm
  • Nuan Ho, Smokescreen, 2023
    Nuan Ho
    Smokescreen, 2023
    Oil on canvas
    158 x 138cm
  • Nuan Ho, Still life (cropped), 2026
    Nuan Ho
    Still life (cropped), 2026
    Oil on wood panel, artist's frame
    35 x 35cm
  • Nuan Ho, Conversation Over a Table, 2024
    Nuan Ho
    Conversation Over a Table, 2024
    Acrylic, oil and house paint on paper on wood panel, artist's frame
    80 x 50cm
  • Nuan Ho, Inheritance (fragments) II, 2025
    Nuan Ho
    Inheritance (fragments) II, 2025
    Oil, marker and paint thinner on paper on wood panel, artist's frame
    35 x 55cm
  • Jess Miller, The Ritual, 2026
    Jess Miller
    The Ritual, 2026
    Oil on canvas
    20 x 16cm
  • Jess Miller, Wedding Guest, 2026
    Jess Miller
    Wedding Guest, 2026
    Oil on canvas
    26 x 20cm
  • Jess Miller, Aperitivo In Trento, 2026
    Jess Miller
    Aperitivo In Trento, 2026
    Oil on canvas
    90 x 60cm
  • Jess Miller, The Appointment, 2026
    Jess Miller
    The Appointment, 2026
    Oil on canvas
    26 x 20cm
  • Jess Miller, The Pause `, 2026
    Jess Miller
    The Pause `, 2026
    Oil on canvas
    20 x 16cm
    Courtesy of CBDGallerySYD