Liesa Bacchus (b. 1988) is a British painter of Indo-Caribbean heritage, whose parents hail from Trinidad and Guyana.

Liesa’s practice is an exploration of her dual identity, with her family and their history being the main source of inspiration for her paintings. She draws upon their lived experiences in the Caribbean and their subsequent move to England in the 1950’s and 1980’s.

Her work addresses themes of colonialism, ‘British-ness’, the Indo-Caribbean diaspora and the indigenous peoples of the lands her ancestors were displaced to through indentureship.

Although Liesa would primarily describe herself as a painter, drawing has continued to be fundamental to her practice, often describing this aspect of the creative process as being ‘the bones for the paintings’. A lot of this stems from the act of drawing as being a cathartic exercise for Liesa, where it gives her agency to re-evaluate and re-center herself as a painter.

Liesa pieces together, personal photographs and stories passed down from generations past with material sourced from documentaries and literature, resulting with each of these components serving as the foundation for the Art she creates.

Liesa is a member of Second Floor Studios, she lives and works in London.