Liz Miller Kovacs is a photographer and artist from Los Angeles, now based in Berlin. She began taking black-and-white photographs at the age of 17 using a vintage 35mm camera, though photography has only recently become her primary artistic medium. Her interest in mining is deeply personal—her Hungarian grandfather and uncle were immigrant coal miners, and her curiosity about their lives continues to inform her practice. Since 2020, she has focused on researching and documenting remote landscapes shaped by extractive industries, and in recent years has gained access to active sites, working with organisations such as SOS Orinoco on projects examining mining in South America.
Her ongoing project, Supernatural, contrasts historical and mythological iconography with the surreal conditions of the Anthropocene, imagining these landscapes as future archaeological sites that will shape narratives about our civilisation. Through large-format photography, metal prints, and installation, she documents mining sites, quarries, and liminal zones between industrial and inhabited spaces, capturing the unique chemical and visual transformations caused by mining processes.
Kovacs presents a balanced view of the industry, exploring the full spectrum of mining—from the legacies of unregulated and abandoned sites to contemporary, responsibly managed operations, and the broader transition away from fossil fuel dependency. By gaining access to these locations, including high-standard operations in regions such as Western Australia’s Goldfields, she is able to reveal both the environmental impact and the evolving practices within the sector. Her work also points toward the potential for more sustainable futures.
A distinctive aspect of her practice is the inclusion of her own body within these environments. Draped in fabric and anonymised, her figure introduces a female perspective that contrasts vulnerability with the harshness of the landscape. These compositions references archetypes that have shaped perceptions of women while challenging them through presence and agency.
Each photograph is created on location through a process that involves extensive research, travel, and physical engagement with the site. The works are not digitally constructed but are the result of direct experience, reflecting a desire to reconnect image-making with reality in an age of increasing visual mediation. Her practice is both a conceptual and embodied exploration of place, meaning, and environmental responsibility.
Kovacs has exhibited internationally and received numerous accolades. In 2025, she was a finalist for the Aesthetica Art Prize, exhibited at OKO Festival Bohinj, and was shortlisted for the Kolga Award and the KLPA Autoportrait Award, as well as receiving a Silver Medal at the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris. In 2024, her work was exhibited in Earth Photo, awarded Foto Slovo’s Gold Medal for Environmental and Climate Issues, and was highly commended by the Belfast Photo Festival. Her work has also been shown at Kranj Foto Fest (2023).
PROGRAM OF EVENTS
Open Studio: Tuesday 10, 24 March & Tuesday 7 April | 12pm - 3pm
Photography Workshop: Wednesday 25 March | 10am - 12pm. BOOK HERE
Photo Book Workshop: Friday 10 April | 6pm - 8pm. BOOK HERE
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮.