Mikhailia Petersen (b. 1992, Cape Town, South Africa) is a multi-faceted creative living and working in Cape Town, South Africa. From a background in commercial and fashion photography and styling, Petersen’s work has a strong portraiture focus. She aims to capture her subjects in a truthful and celebratory manner, portraying her subjects through narrative-based story-telling, as opposed to isolated and essentializing single images. Her practice lends itself towards the emotive - harnessing elements of history, culture and the lived experiences of her surrounding community and the people she works with. Deeply interested in the post-colonial landscape of Cape Town, her work seeks to subvert the way POC and LGBTQIA+ people within this context are frequently lensed through hardship and oppression – instead, framing these groups within their beauty and strength. Her most recent series of photographs, A Hopeful Love, portrays a strong bond between two young siblings, resonating with memories Peterson connected to her own childhood.