Leia Genis American, b. 1997
"These artworks align with contemporary endeavors to construct alternative histories, to reestablish lost connections, and to make space for those previously silenced. The violence with which historical narratives are created cannot be undone but perhaps they can be reworked to be more faithful, equitable, or hopeful.”
- Leia Genis
Leia Genis crafts her work as a meticulous dance between presence and erasure, a visual symphony that resonates with the echoes of what once was and what remains. Her cyanotype photograms on gauze-like fabric are not merely images but palimpsests, each layer a testament to the passage of time and the accumulation of human presence. Genis's process, which involves repeated exposures of human silhouettes, creates a textured topography of light and shadow, each new layer adding depth and complexity, much like geological strata recording the earth's history.
Yet, this creation is fraught with the violence of transformation. Through wax-resist dyeing, unraveling, and drapery, she subjects these ethereal records to a relentless cycle of preservation and obliteration. This deliberate act of excavation, where images are simultaneously constructed and deconstructed, speaks to the fragile nature of memory and identity. Genis’s works are snapshots in an ongoing evolution, capturing moments of clarity amid the flux, offering a profound meditation on the ephemeral nature of existence.
