Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Bikic.
Hi Ana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story begins with my grandmother, an artist from the 1920s who became the greatest influence on my artistic life. She taught me to observe, to imagine, and to understand beauty as a discipline of the soul. My father was a scientist and doctor, deeply philosophical, and from him I inherited a profound curiosity for knowledge and truth. The combination of art and science at home shaped how I see the world—through both creativity and analysis.
My family migrated from Europe to Argentina in the 1920s and settled in a small German village in the mountains. I grew up surrounded by forests, rivers, and the rhythm of nature. That environment defined my visual sensibility and gave me an early understanding of harmony, balance, and natural design.
I studied at the Figueroa Alcorta School of Fine Arts, a traditional academy with a strong classical foundation, where I developed my technical skills and artistic language. My grandmother continued to guide me through those years, encouraging experimentation while grounding me in tradition. Later, I traveled through Europe, exhibiting and expanding my creative perspective before returning to South Florida, where my mother had been living for more than fifty years.
In Miami, I met my lifelong partner and husband, William Mark Coulthard, a classically trained artist. When we met, he was working with *The Miami Artisans*, a collective of professional artists led by architect Richard Heisenbottle during the 1987 restoration of the historic Freedom Tower in downtown Miami. Heisenbottle commissioned our group of six artists to create a completely new mural for the Grand Hall—a work that would celebrate the rebirth of the building and its historical significance.
This new piece, *The New World Mural 1513*, was not a restoration. The original 1920s mural had been destroyed decades earlier, and only fragments remained. Our task was not to repair or reproduce what was lost, but to create a new vision—an original artwork that honored both the heritage of the building and the spirit of Miami itself. Painted on two large stitched canvases, forty-four feet wide and twenty-five feet high, it portrays the Tequesta Chief of Miami and Ponce de León’s arrival to the New World. The mural became a symbolic meeting point between cultures, epochs, and ideals.
Today, *The New World Mural 1513* stands proudly in the Grand Hall of the Freedom Tower. Thousands of visitors, dignitaries, and public figures, including the Queen of Spain, have stood before it. For many years, there was confusion surrounding the piece—some believed it was a restored original—but it is important to clarify that it is a **new artistic creation** made by our team in 1987–1988. We are proud to have created this monumental work, which brought the Freedom Tower back to cultural life and reestablished its role as a historical landmark in Miami.
After completing the mural, William and I spent several years in England, exhibiting and collaborating on different projects before returning to Florida in the 1990s. During that time, I became a mother, and my view of art deepened through the influence of my father’s psychiatric work and my mother’s background as a psychologist. Observing life through both science and empathy led me to explore the human mind, creativity, and our relationship with the environment.
That exploration became my thesis and life philosophy, which I later named *Eco-Symbolism*. It began as an artistic study and evolved into a broader philosophy that connects art, science, and the evolution of human consciousness. I came to believe that all humans are creators, and that creation itself carries responsibility. Through our actions, words, and expressions, we can either inspire or destroy.
While teaching art to children, I saw how modern distractions, materialism, and the fast pace of life were distancing younger generations from creativity and meaning. I wrote the *Eco-Symbolism Manifesto* in 2006 as both a reflection and a response, a way to help rebuild a sense of connection, awareness, and purpose. The philosophy emphasizes that symbols are not mere decoration; they are the language of evolution, the geometry of truth, and the reflection of our collective consciousness.
I first presented Eco-Symbolism in Italy, where it was warmly received. Today, I continue to share it through my platform *Miami Art Reviews*, encouraging dialogue about the meaning of creation, inspiration, and humanity’s role as a creative force. For me, Eco-Symbolism extends far beyond art—it applies to music, architecture, science, and everyday life. It calls for critical thinking, empathy, and collaboration as ways to ensure human adaptability and evolution.
I live and work in Miami with my husband, continuing to create art, decorative projects, and writings inspired by this philosophy. Life to me is magnificent, mysterious, and full of hidden potential. Humanity has not yet fully discovered its brilliance, but I believe that through dialogue, creativity, and knowledge, we can rise to become the force of renewal that our world needs.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but it has been meaningful. There were times when I chose silence, not out of withdrawal, but because there was no echo. I didn’t see the reflection of what I wanted to express. The audience, like much of the world, was distracted, confused, and disconnected. Showing art in a time when people couldn’t truly see or feel it felt empty.
Every artist wants to exhibit, but there is a moment for everything. Art needs resonance. It needs a receptive spirit, not just a passing glance. For many years, the world was not in that place, especially after the last five or six years, marked by crisis, isolation, and the pandemic. Society went through deep transformation, and culture felt suspended, uncertain of its direction.
But something has shifted. Today, there is a visible hunger, a hunger for hope, inspiration, and meaning. People are searching for connection again, for truth and creativity that speak to the human experience. That is what gives me the motivation to continue *Miami Art Reviews* and to promote *Eco-Symbolism* as both a philosophy and a dialogue.
For me, timing is everything. Creation and exposure must meet at the right moment, when there is openness and understanding. I believe that time is now. The world is rediscovering its pulse, and art can help guide that rhythm.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an artist, philosopher, and creator. My work moves between fine art, cultural writing, and research, always centered on one idea: Eco-Symbolism. It is a philosophy I developed to explore how art, science, and human evolution are connected through symbols. Every creation, from a painting to a written article, is a reflection on how we communicate, transform, and adapt as a species.
My artistic language combines traditional fine-art techniques with conceptual thought. It draws from history, psychology, and geometry to express how truth and creativity are linked. I am also one of the artists who created “The New World Mural 1513” at the Freedom Tower in Miami, a monumental new work completed in 1987–1988 that reimagined the idea of discovery and cultural encounter. The mural has become part of Miami’s heritage and remains one of the city’s most visited and photographed artworks.
In recent years, I founded Miami Art Reviews, an independent international magazine dedicated to culture, science, and creative dialogue. It covers not only art and design but also technology, architecture, biology, and the political and social forces that shape human creativity. Miami Art Reviews is born from the same philosophy as EcoSymbolism, that everything is interconnected, and that culture must act as a mirror of truth.
What sets my work apart is this interdisciplinary vision. I see art not as a product, but as a form of knowledge and transformation. EcoSymbolism challenges us to rethink how we create, what we value, and how symbols guide our collective future. Through painting, writing, and cultural dialogue, I strive to contribute to that evolution, to inspire others to think, to feel, and to rediscover the meaning behind creation itself.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I owe much of who I am to my family. My grandmother, Teresa Someraux, an artist from the 1920s, was my first inspiration. She taught me that art is a calling that requires patience, observation, and devotion. My father, Dr. Felix Antonio Bikic, a scientist, doctor, and teacher, shaped my intellectual and philosophical outlook. His wisdom and curiosity instilled in me a love for knowledge and truth, qualities that continue to guide my work.
Motherhood became my greatest revelation. Through my son, Alexander, I discovered the meaning of unconditional love, self-renunciation, and awareness. From that experience, Eco-Symbolism was born, a philosophy inspired by the creative responsibility and depth that motherhood reveals.
I am also deeply grateful to my husband and lifelong partner, William Mark Coulthard, an artist from the United Kingdom. He is one of the original artists who painted The New World Mural 1513 at the Freedom Tower in Miami and created many of the mural’s foundational drawings. A classically trained and exceptionally talented artist, he shares with me the same devotion to art, science, and history. Together we continue to create and live through the values of truth, craftsmanship, and inspiration.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Miamiartreviews.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamiartreview/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiamiArtReviews
- Twitter: https://x.com/artreviewsmiami
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtReviewMiami
- Other: https://www.anabikic.com
Image Credits
Dialogue 2006 By Ana Bikic
Knowledge 2006 By Ana Bikic
Turning Point 2006 fine art Painting by Ana Bikic Ecosymbolism Presentation
Migration 2005 by Ana Bikic
South Florida Fauna By Ana Bikic
South Florida Coral Reefs Florida Fauna by Ana Bikic
Mercury Bubbles By Ana Bikic
New World Mural 1513 Miami Freedom Tower Mural restoration 2014 Ana Bikic
