Liesa Bacchus on Dual Identity & Ancestral Heritage
Liesa Bacchus is a painter born in London, England, to Indo-Caribbean parents hailing from Trinidad and Guyana. Her art explores dual identity and ancestral heritage, rooted in her family, their history and the remnants of British colonial Indo-Indentureship in the Caribbean and its other colonies.
Childhood
From a young age my parents instilled in me a strong sense of identity and heritage. The cuisine eaten at home was Guyanese, lovingly crafted from produce that my mum would religiously source each Saturday from ‘specialist’ food stores. My childhood summers were spent in Guyana, and back at home in England we would frequently connect with family and friends from the London Indo-Caribbean diaspora and attend Notting Hill Carnival. Although I sadly grew up not knowing my paternal Trinidadian side of the family, my dad would always remind me of this part of my heritage. I knew who I was, but I was all too often reminded of my 'difference', with that loaded question “where are you really from?”
Having to frequently explain the fabric of my roots to those ‘curious’, I would come to learn over the years that merely replying with “I was born in England, but my parents are from Trinidad and Guyana” wouldn’t be a sufficient answer.
Liesa on the far right with her cousins and sister in Berbice, Guyana 1990s.
The Importance of Self-Learning
The catalyst for the beginning of my journey of self-learning began with the documentary ‘Coolies, How Britain Reinvented Slavery’. I would come to learn that the architects responsible for the displacement of my ancestors from India to the Caribbean were the British Empire, an empire bred from the same land that I was born to descendants of this colonial enterprise. This documentary answered so many questions and opened the door, but it also left me with so many more questions, a recurring one being: Why have I only just heard about Indian indenture?
Having the agency to process this untold chapter of British colonial history is something that my parents and generations before never had the luxury to do, thus subsequently having to carry the intergenerational trauma.
Liesa working in her studio in London
Artistic Practice, Dual Identity & Ancestral Heritage
My art examines my dual identity and ancestral heritage, exploring how interconnected the two are. The means of piecing together ideas for a composition can often be quite cathartic, as my paintings are rooted in my family, their history and the remnants of British colonial Indo-Indentureship in the Caribbean and its other colonies.
Indo-Indentureship and my family's connection to the Caribbean and existing within the diaspora, have remained instrumental to my projects. I document their new lives in England, and paint pieces that recall memories of the life they had left behind in the Caribbean. I also acknowledge the importance of the indigenous peoples of the lands that my ancestors were displaced to. I use my art to pay homage to my heritage and raise awareness of the existence of the Indo-Caribbean peoples, Indo-Indentureship and this forgotten chapter of the British Empire. Something that more people should know about, especially here in Britain.
From left to right: ‘A visit to Bournemouth 1987’ watercolour on paper (2019), ‘Indian Indentured labourers Reaping Sugar Cane, South Africa’ oils on canvas (2024), ‘78 Village’ oils on canvas (2018)