Leslye Villaseñor: Refractions of Silence

Solo exhibition, Best Practice, 2025

With a soft focus that evokes the passage of time, Leslye Villaseñor paints objects nestled in the landscape at South San Diego’s Otay Valley Regional Park— memorials to the deceased constructed of once-precious belongings. Stuffed animals, eyeglasses, seashells, and votive candles, these remnants are worn by the elements and will eventually vanish, giving the memorials a finite lifespan of their own. While the shrines may be for people unknown to Villaseñor, her brushstrokes render the paintings tender portraits of grief's materiality. In her images, the park becomes a liminal space, a silent threshold where loss is treated with care. 

Photos: Joe Yorty