Aline Mac Cord
Aline Mac Cord’s artistic journey is an intricate weave of intellectual exploration, sensory experience, and an urgent call for reconnection with nature. Raised in a family that deeply valued literature, art, and the expansion of human knowledge, she was immersed in creativity and intellectual curiosity from a young age. One of her earliest and most formative artistic experiences occurred when her grandmother took her to a Picasso exhibition. Though only a child, she immediately grasped the essence of the paintings, experiencing an intuitive connection with art that has shaped her ever since.
Books and travel played a pivotal role in her development. With access to a vast family library, she was able to immerse herself in literature from an early age, which shaped her worldview and deepened her creative thinking. Her studies in communication and international affairs at Columbia University took her to cities like Los Angeles, New York, Barcelona, and Paris, further expanding her perspective on cultural interconnections. These diverse experiences refined her understanding of art as a fundamental form of communication—an expression that transcends words and speaks to the depths of human perception.
Currently, she is continuing her artistic formation at the Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage in Brazil, a renowned institution that has nurtured artists like Adriana Varejão and Beatriz Milhazes. Her recent artistic residency in the Amazon rainforest was a transformative experience, reinforcing her focus on interconnectivity, ecology, and perception.
Mac Cord’s work is multidisciplinary and ever-evolving, reflecting her belief in the fluidity of artistic expression. She experiments with painting, collage, modeling, ceramics, photoperformance, and immersive installations, embracing the idea that true artistic integration dissolves artificial barriers between mediums. Her artistic research delves into humanity’s estranged relationship with the ecosystem, challenging the anthropocentric illusion that humans exist separately from nature. She argues that we are not outside observers of the natural world—we are intrinsically part of it. By broadening sensory perception and questioning imposed limitations, her work urges us to reexamine the narratives we take for granted.
The themes in her work revolve around interconnectivity, perception, and the false constructs that have led humanity to a dangerous detachment from the natural world. She is inspired by thinkers like Ailton Krenak and Emanuele Coccia, whose philosophies emphasize ecological awareness. Artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Hilma af Klint, Marc Chagall, and Franz Krajcberg inform her approach to color, form, and materiality. Among contemporary artists, she admires Henrique Oliveira, Olafur Eliasson, Nuno Ramos, and Beatriz Milhazes, who have encouraged her to embrace boldness in color, movement, and sensory engagement.
One of her most fulfilling creative milestones was participating in the exhibition O Mistério das Coisas por Baixo das Pedras e dos Seres at the Museu Histórico da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. This exhibition resonated deeply with her, as Rio de Janeiro’s unique connection to nature provided an ideal setting for contemplation. Another major undertaking is Ode ao Centro da Terra, a collaborative project that emerged from her Amazonian residency, exploring both environmental destruction and the systemic violence inflicted upon women’s bodies. This project is deeply visceral and essential, reinforcing her belief that any harm done to nature is ultimately harm done to ourselves.
For Mac Cord, success is not measured in accolades alone but in the impact her work has on expanding consciousness. She sees art as a way to shift perception, particularly for future generations. Planting seeds of awareness—especially in children—has the potential to create long-term change.
She remains steadfast in her creative vision, unshaken by fleeting trends. Having always been independent and critical in her thinking, she believes that trends serve those who do not wish to think for themselves. True artists, in her view, act as oracles, sensing and articulating the tensions of the present moment before they even emerge in mainstream discourse.
Beyond her artistic practice, Mac Cord has dedicated much of her life to society and cultural movements. She works at the Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, where she deepens her study of ecological interconnectivity. Additionally, she is a long-time organizer of Cordão do Boitolo, one of Rio de Janeiro’s most traditional carnival street bands. This bloco represents more than just festivity—it stands for freedom, citizenship, creativity, and autonomy. With no commercial involvement, it gathers over 100,000 people each year, proving that collective human connection transcends financial incentives.
Her creative practice is inseparable from her personal life. She has never experienced a lack of inspiration because her daily existence is her artistic fuel. Surrounded by nature, immersed in carnival, and engaged in ecological research, she continuously explores the connections between humanity and the larger living system of which we are a part.
Her advice to emerging artists is simple: be true to yourself. Do not create to please others or chase external validation. In the long run, only authenticity is sustainable. Art should not conform to expectations—it should disrupt, challenge, and push boundaries.
Looking ahead, Mac Cord envisions ongoing collaborations with artists, scientists, and thinkers across disciplines. She is currently working with a physicist from Pernambuco, an artist named Rafa Diås, and the group of creatives from her Amazonian residency. Her work Ode ao Centro da Terra is being proposed to multiple institutions globally, expanding the conversation around ecological violence and human interconnectedness.
She is also writing three books: one on art and perception, another on philosophy and the artificial constructs shaping modern life, and a fiction novel that weaves these themes into narrative form. Her artistic research is pushing into new materials and large-scale installations, and she sees her work reaching international audiences—because when she speaks of humanity, she speaks to the world.
Her message to readers is clear: question your patterns. There is life all around you, and if you do not engage with it, you will begin to wither. Much of modern anxiety and disconnection stems from a crisis of perception—people have detached themselves from the very essence of life. The more we remove ourselves from nature, the more we suffer.
Mac Cord’s work is a powerful call to action. It is not merely about aesthetics but about reshaping our understanding of existence. Art, in her view, is not just a reflection of life—it is a force that can alter it.
