Mariella Poli
Educator, interdisciplinary artist and curator
About
Mariella Poli holds both a BFA and MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, California. She has taught extensively at institutions including the San Francisco Art Institute, Saint Mary’s College of California, and Studio Arts College International (SACI) in Florence, Italy. Since 2002, she has been teaching at the California College of the Arts. Her teaching portfolio includes Photography, Study Abroad programs, Upper Division Interdisciplinary Studio, and Critical Ethnic Studies in the Humanities and Sciences Division.
Mariella Poli is an educator, interdisciplinary artist, and curator whose work bridges art, design, and global pedagogy. Her practice is informed by a sustained engagement with history, geopolitics, cultural diversity, and the role of space in shaping everyday social life.
Working across disciplines, she connects research, teaching, and artistic production, fostering dialogue between local contexts and global perspectives.
Work
Poli’s artistic practice focuses on installation, incorporating photography, video, and film. Her work investigates themes of identity, culture, and place, with particular attention to how space influences human experience.
Her projects have been exhibited internationally at institutions including the National Museum of Fine Arts (Hanoi), Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MART), Italy, Museo Universitario del Chopo (Mexico City), AVA Gallery (Cape Town), Ca’ Foscari University (Venice), and Art Cologne (Germany), among others.
She is currently developing a project centered on the studios of Cinecittà in Rome. Since 1989, she has produced numerous works, including No People No Joey, Between the Lines, There, Beyond/Oltre, Nascita di un-Museo, City Hall, The Convent, and Montecatini.
Teaching
As an educator, Mariella develops and leads international exchange programs in collaboration with institutions worldwide. These initiatives bring together students from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds, resulting in exhibitions and publications that address global pedagogies.
Her teaching focuses on critical engagement with socioeconomic inequalities and the geopolitical dynamics of rapidly evolving urban environments. She encourages students to see themselves as active contributors, problem-solvers, and creative producers, capable of shaping contemporary discourse through art, design, and writing.
From 2005 to 2023, she established partnerships with institutions including Marmara University and Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey), University of Cape Town (South Africa), Goldsmiths, University of London (UK), Accademia di Belle Arti Palermo, Second University of Naples, Città della Scienza (Naples), and IUAV University (Venice).
Exhibitions
Mariella has co-curated numerous exhibitions and publications in the United States and internationally. Her curatorial work includes presentations at CCA Galleries (Oakland and San Francisco), Pro Arts Gallery, and the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco.
Internationally, she has participated in major collaborative exhibitions such as the International Student Triennial in Istanbul, including:
Temporality – Differences and Beyond (2017), Republic Museum Gallery, 42 Art & Design institutions from 12 countries attended.
Connecting the Dots (2013), Pera Museum, 50 Art & Design institutions from 15 countries attended.
Additional exhibitions have taken place at venues including Cumhuriyet Museum and Santral Gallery (Istanbul), Michaelis Gallery (Cape Town), The Old Police Station (London), Accademia di Belle Arti (Palermo), Città della Scienza (Naples), Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa (Venice), and Galleria Civica (Modena).
Publications
Her publications include Nascita di Un-Museo (MART, Mondadori Electa), Montecatini (Skira), Savoy Hotel (Antiga Edizioni), and No People No Joey (Edizione Osiride). Her work has also been featured in various publications across Italy, Austria, Spain, Denmark, and Mexico.
Honors & Residencies
She held an international residency with Citizens of Culture (A Soul for Europe), focusing on culture, economy, and social responsibility, and participated in the RES International Program as a multidisciplinary artist in Torcito, Lecce, Italy.
Additional engagements include the Civitella Ranieri Center (Italy) and the Na-Bolom research residency in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.
Mariella served as Director of a Venice multidisciplinary art residency – Urban Residency Art and Design Collective.
Mariella Poli 