Magzoid Magazine - Luxury Magazine in the Creative Space | November 2023 |

CONVERSATIONS
Ana Liz Cordero
ON SUSTAINABLE ART AND ITS IMPORTANCE
Ana Liz Cordero has always had a fascination with nature and its conservation, as a result of
her Ecuadorian heritage and her awareness of the Incan people of her native country. Her
curiosity and admiration for this ancient culture stems from childhood trips to the countryside
in the provinces of Azuay and Cañar with her father.
Interview with Magzoid
Here she witnessed the practices of
collecting and recycling in Incan
settlements, and gained an understanding
of the communities’ way
of living that took advantage of natural resources.
The young artist saw natural materials
being used for a range of purposes,
including building their adobes: dwellings
made from bricks comprised of a mixture
of soil, sand, water and straw, with braided
reed roofs. The artist reflects, “I remember
that they collected what the “Pacha Mama”
(Mother Earth) gave them in the lands. They
shared that food with us, because they
made us feel that we were part of their fam-
ily. They did not have much but, what they
had, they shared it”.
The practice of using what was given by
nature enthralled Ana Liz. As the artist says,
“My art has Inca antecedents, giving value
to their care for nature. That’s my identity as
an Ecuadorian: to remember to take care of
the ecosystem and biodiversity; to generate
connection with human beings and their natural
environments.” In her art practice, she
applies this knowledge and experience to
the materials she uses and the ideas she
embodies: that of the unity of man, nature,
and creator. Ana Liz’s work maintains an
abiding connection to the Bible, emphasizing
positive messages that allow viewers to
imagine, feel and remember what was and
is our nature. The artist says that the use of
abstraction in her work “helps me find the
essence of God in his creation, reminding
me that we must preserve his legacy. Nature
and human beings have always been part of
a single creation; and my work always aims
to remember that unity.”
Abstraction is a key feature of Ana Liz’s
work, in conjunction with her Ecuadorian
heritage and her current home in Dubai,
where she has been based since 2019.
Similar to the ways in which the artist saw
the Incans using natural materials in their
everyday lives, Ana Liz uses elements from
the UAE area that she finds in the desert, in
the sea, and in the mountains. Here, she not
only seeks materiality for her works but also
finds a source of deeper inspiration. Other
influences include the abstract sculpture
of British artists Henry Moore and Barbara
Hepworth, whose semi-abstract sculptures
often respond to the natural environments
in which they sit. Cordero’s work also responds
to land art, a movement inspired by
minimalism and conceptual art as a way to
think about and express the relationship of
22 November 2023 www.magzoid.com