Leia Genis American, b. 1997
"My artworks are as much about what is there as what was lost to get there. The incomplete view of information observed in each artwork is always tethered to and affected by the parts of it which have been wiped away.”
- Leia Genis
“My artworks embed information within gauze-like fabric using a cyanotype photogram process. I create repeated exposures of human silhouettes, which are layered and superimposed to achieve a range of values and forms. As cyanotype is a photographic medium, each exposure is a record of the time and place it was made, with each additional exposure adding a new layer to this record, much like layers of sediment within a riverbed.
Once created, this historical record is then excavated. I employ techniques such as wax-resist dyeing, unraveling, and drapery to recolor, deepen, weaken, and/or abstract visible forms, sometimes preserving the embedded information and sometimes erasing or replacing it. The extraction of an image from the record is a violent process: construction also requires undoing, eliminating, and imposing images. The artworks as they are presented are not at the end of this process; rather, they are presented at the moment which each of them currently rests."
"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 is an artist and writer currently based in Atlanta, Georgia. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design with degrees in painting and sculpture, her artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally at venues such as MOCA GA (Atlanta) and the Ipswich Biennale (Ipswich, UK). Genis is currently a member of the Atlanta Contemporary staff where she coordinates programming and manages the studio artist program.
Leia Genis utilizes cyanotype, installation works, and performance art to examine esoteric concepts of individuals or groups who have been marginalized and excluded from mainstream dialogue, including the disenfranchised, women, and people of color, along with members of the LGBTQ+ community.
A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design with degrees in painting and sculpture, Genis’ artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally at venues such as MOCA GA (Atlanta) and the Ipswich Biennale (Ipswich, UK). An artist and writer, Genis is currently a member of the Atlanta Contemporary staff where she coordinates programming and manages the studio artist program.
