My work is a personal investigation into plants, memory, territory, and belonging. Moving between photography, found imagery, collage, painting, and drawing, I have explored how experiences of place and relocation shape memory and the emotional connections we form with the environments we inhabit.
Over the years, the presence of plants gradually increased in my work as I began to see them as wise, loving, and compassionate beings who had welcomed me in foreign lands. Plants became both a bridge to the past and a guide to navigate toward the future, embodying symbols of resilience and continuity amid change.
Initially, plants entered my work as metaphorical motifs, offering a way to reflect on the construction and reconstruction of memory, especially as shaped by the experience of migration. Over time, I moved away from symbolic interpretations and began to approach plants through a more ontological and ecological lens, recognizing them as living beings with histories of their own.
Recently, plants have become a constant presence in my practice. I have started to adopt their perspective, recognizing that they are not very different from us. Plants, like humans, can be uprooted, transplanted, and naturalized. They can be considered lifelong neighbors, invasive intruders, or welcomed additions to new environments. They must learn to adapt to a new location before they can thrive, or adjust to changing conditions to survive.
This dynamic has led me to ask questions about the connections we form with plants, in both symbolic and tangible ways: How have we seen and interacted with them? What kinds of relationships have we cultivated or neglected? And, ultimately, what does it mean to share this period of environmental challenges with them?
oN MY PRACTICE
Leila Ali is a Colombian visual artist and independent art researcher, living and working between Austin, Texas, and Tustin, California.
Ali obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from the Academia Superior de Artes in Bogotá. She also holds two master’s degrees: one in Cultural Studies from the National University of Colombia, where she graduated with a Mention of Distinction awarded by the Faculty of Human Sciences, and another in Aesthetics and Art History from the University of São Paulo in Brazil.
Most recently, Ali completed the Certificate in Botanical Illustration at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in Scotland and is currently enrolled in the Diploma in Botanical Art (DipSBA) with the Society of Botanical Artists in the UK.
Her work has been widely exhibited in Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, South Korea, and the United States.