Eliza Ali
I believe when people do what fuels their soul, it ends up being more impactful than doing things to please others.
– Eliza Ali
The first time Eliza and I spoke, almost an hour passed in what seemed like five minutes. I had been a fan of Art She Says for some time, and it was wonderful to get to know the person who dreamed and worked it into being. Since then, many calls and emails have been exchanged, and I was thrilled when we came up with the idea to interview each other.
There is so much richness in what Eliza shares, and I know you will enjoy her eloquent words and empowering message.
Elizabeth Cheatham McNairy: Art She Says is one of our very favorite sites to learn all about amazing women in the arts. Will you please speak to the inspiration behind you founding it and what you have most enjoyed within the work?
Eliza Ali: First off, huge thank you for being an active reader! I’ve always had a love for creative content in media. I started my career interning at Hamptons magazine where I got a taste of what it was like to be behind the scenes of a luxury publication. After I graduated university with my art history degree (I went to a women’s college!), I worked at an entertainment law firm in New York whose clients were mainly in the art and film industries. I was hugely inspired by all the power women I was surrounded by, and after changing my career course working with art dealers and galleries, I soon realized that women artists were underrepresented at not only galleries, but also in the media.
In 2018, I was going through a career rut, just having quit the 9-5 life and figuring out my true passions, bouncing from one career to another. I was craving something fulfilling and substantial — something that would make an impact in the world but also bring me joy. Ultimately, it all came together one day when I was inspired by this quote by Friedrich Nietzsche: “Let the youthful soul look back on life with the question: what have you truly loved up to now, what has elevated your soul, what has mastered it and at the same time delighted it? Place these venerated objects before you in a row, and perhaps they will yield for you, through their nature and their sequence, a law, the fundamental law of your true self. Compare these objects, see how one complements, expands, surpasses, transfigures another, how they form a stepladder upon which you have climbed up to yourself as you are now; for your true nature lies, not hidden deep within you, but immeasurably high above you, or at least above that which you normally take to be yourself.”
For me, I knew my true passions were magazines, photography, content creation, women’s empowerment, and art. Seeing that there are very few outlets that fairly represent both men and women within the art world, and realizing that I was living in one of the greatest cities in the world, I decided that it was the perfect moment to utilize my network to create a media platform that empowers women in the art industry.
Tears Are My Thoughts Traveling
Analeovy Perez
EMC: You grew up in a family that valued education and encouraged you to go into traditional fields, such as law or medicine. Tell us a bit about your journey of releasing those expectations and forging your own path in the arts.
EA: I’ve always been a rebel. Tradition is not in my nature. I knew I didn’t want to do something ordinary, and I knew that my role to make an impact on the world is much greater than being a lawyer or working in finance at an office job pushing papers. None of it truly felt like me. I believe when people do what fuels their soul, it ends up being more impactful than doing things to please others. My advice is: Find your purpose in life, then the money will follow. Of course, it isn’t that easy to go from a stable paycheck to living life on the edge, spontaneously coming across creative ways to make rent, and not knowing what was going to happen next. Some people are not meant for that life. My family sure did not approve. But passion triumphs. I’m a creative at heart.
EMC: During our first phone call, we spoke of the abundance mentality we often were privileged to experience within our work... Will you share some of your favorite stories of women choosing to lift each other up?
EA: Yes! Abundance over limitations — this goes for any entrepreneur, artist, or creative. 99% of the world is tricked into thinking that we are limited by what we see and that all the resources we have are scarce. Especially in the art world. I’ve met a lot of older, more traditional art dealers who are very hesitant to give out information or share contacts, which I totally understand — it’s what makes this business thrilling and elusive. On the other hand, I’ve met women in the industry who are so transparent about their resources and network, and you generally see that those who live with the abundance mindset and share the wealth are living more successful lives than those who are too secretive and competitive. We once interviewed Tory Burch, who says it best: “Help other women along the way—a rising tide lifts all boats.”
To Be Titled
Donna Huanca
EMC: What have been your greatest lessons this past year? What continues to challenge you and encourage you to grow?
EA:
Greatest lessons:
1. Crown yourself. You are the only person who will ever give you the authority for anything. Don’t wait for other people to give it to you.
2. Be careful who you work with. You want to make sure the people you work with ultimately have the same vision as you do, and communication style as you do; otherwise it simply doesn’t work.
3. Set boundaries. And by this, I mean stay true to your vision and intuition, trust yourself that you are doing the right thing, and make sure you are not people-pleasing. Women have a tendency to not speak up when they fear it will damage a relationship with a friend or colleague, and it’s a habit I am definitely still learning to overcome. But it is essential to communicate and be transparent whenever something doesn’t feel right to you.
Growth:
It truly takes a disciplined mindset to sit down, block out the noise, and trust your intuition that there is more to life than what we know. I think one thing most women are missing is the audacity. We need to have the audacity to do things without the fear of the failure or getting disliked by others. For example, if someone wasn’t crazy enough to imagine humans can fly, where would we be today? It is so important to believe that anything is possible. It’s how all the great art is made. Just imagine — instead of a world of “I can’t do this because...” “This is impossible because...” but rather: “How can I make this work?” or “How can I make this a reality?” ...Women would be powerful beyond measure!
How We Rest
Oh de Laval
Syzygy
Lina Iris Viktor
We need to have the audacity to do things without the fear of the failure or getting disliked by others.
– Eliza Ali
EMC: Who are some women—Matrons (supporters) & Mistresses (creatives)—that inspire you?
EA:
Matrons: I love Marine Tanguy, the CEO of MTArt Agency in London. She’s a self-made woman who created the first art agency for artists, and a huge supporter for women. Believe it or not, we haven’t even met in person and yet she’s one of my closest confidantes when it comes to business! I also have a huge admiration for Nomaza Nongqunga Coupez, founder of Undiscovered Canvas in the French Riviera. She has this beautiful mission for helping young African artists gain visibility in the European market and is a huge believer in culture being the primary economy for the future. I find her very inspiring and a huge ray of sunshine! Lastly, I love Lydia Fenet, Global Managing Director and auctioneer at Christie’s. We held our first Power Women’s Dinner with her at our office in Soho, and she’s one of the most incredible women supporters out there! She’s a perfect example of someone with an abundance mindset — breaking the boundaries of a male-dominated industry and forging her own career path.
Mistresses: I love Rachel Lee Hovnanian’s installation and mixed media work. She uses photography, video, sculpture, and painting to create surreal environments that challenge viewers to examine and reevaluate their own cultural values and relationship with digital technology. I also admire the works of Analeovy Perez, an emerging artist from Cancun. She has such a playful and quirky imagination with her use of saturated color and figures. Her works remind me a bit of Picasso and Matisse and they bring me joy. There’s also Zandile Tshabalala, who has some amazing paintings with mixed animal prints. She’s gotten me into the whole DVF interior design vibe now. Lastly, a mistress I just discovered and am loving right now is Oh de Laval, a Polish artist currently showing at the Unit London. What I love about her is her rebellion and ownership of her sexuality: she creates ribald, erotic expressionist paintings with suggestive titles that instill awkward apprehension and perhaps even disgust with her viewers. Oh de Laval also has the greatest life philosophy as an artist: “to explore old artists’ way of living rather than their painting,” something that I find rather whimsical and cinematic. She has this unfiltered, unabashed egoism and often quotes Francis Bacon: “The art that has no balls has no value.”
EMC: Or perhaps that has no ovaries ;)
EA: I love Lina Iris Viktor’s exquisite detail of gold leaf and how she creates self-portraits that look like royalty — the ultimate example of a woman who crowns herself!
Others: Donna Huanca, Thai Mainhard, Camille Cottier, Cecilia Granara, Shirley Pizango, and Hester Finch.
