In her new body of work In the Absence of Presence, Lesia selects photos from her family’s archive and transfers the images onto drywall painted “Silver Heirloom”, emulating the walls of her family home. There are eight pieces in the series, each one being approximately 11x14”. The photographs are transferred using a gel medium to adhere to the drywall, which can distort and warp the colours of the image. The result is often a faded version of the original, which Miga further distorts by choosing to expose only select parts of the image to show through.
Lesia curates her selection from this archive by finding moments of joy and quiet in the lives of loved ones who have died. Her relationship with these photos is shifting, occasionally she appears as a sister, a daughter, granddaughter, or the original photographer. By resurfacing these collections and distorting them, Lesia considers her waining memory, the feeling of life, and our continuing relationship to the people we mourn.










In her new body of work In the Absence of Presence, Lesia selects photos from her family’s archive and transfers the images onto drywall painted “Silver Heirloom”, emulating the walls of her family home. There are eight pieces in the series, each one being approximately 11x14”. The photographs are transferred using a gel medium to adhere to the drywall, which can distort and warp the colours of the image. The result is often a faded version of the original, which Miga further distorts by choosing to expose only select parts of the image to show through.
Lesia curates her selection from this archive by finding moments of joy and quiet in the lives of loved ones who have died. Her relationship with these photos is shifting, occasionally she appears as a sister, a daughter, granddaughter, or the original photographer. By resurfacing these collections and distorting them, Lesia considers her waining memory, the feeling of life, and our continuing relationship to the people we mourn.

Lesia Miga
Lesia and Kasia
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
12 x 12 in.

Lesia Miga
Kasia's hand print
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
11 x 14 in.

Lesia Miga
John
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
11 x 14 in.

Lesia Miga
Babcia's Hand
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
11 x 14 in.

Lesia Miga
Lesia and Kasia
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
12 x 12 in.

Lesia Miga
Kasia Swimming
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
12 x 12 in.

Lesia Miga
Lesia and Kasia (detail)
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
12 x 12 in.

Lesia Miga
Kasia Swimming (detail)
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
12 x 12 in.

Lesia Miga
Lesia and Kasia (detail)
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
12 x 12 in.

Lesia Miga
65th Anniversary
from the series In The Absence of Presence
inkjet print, gel medium, dry wall, acryclic paint
2019
12 x 12 in.