Ornella Polo's works are deeply tied to the immediate nature of drawing, emphasizing flow, and movement through Minimalism. In an exploration of the balance~chaos dynamics of drawing; often perceived as a raw, imperfect, or undone stage in art-making, it holds a central role in her practice. As a result, transforming the language of line into absolute spaces. Drawing from the Avant-garde, Wabi-sabi philosophy principles and Symbolism; Through the mediums of ink, oil paint, and charcoal primarily, her proposal nurtures simplicity, love and self within multidimensional scenarios.

As a Venezuelan-Spanish artist currently residing in New York City, Ornella Polo is an alumna of the Cooper Union School of Art and Universitat de Barcelona. Awarded with The Benjamin Menschel & The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Fellowship, The Full Tuition Merit Scholarship, The Innovator Merit Scholarship, and The James Craig & Irene Scala Designing with Type Awards Merit Scholarship at The Cooper Union. Her artistic foundation is grounded in a decade-long training in classical painting, drawing techniques, and art history at the Mgr. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini Academy of Fine Arts in Venezuela, under the mentorship of artist Francesco Santoro. She has previously taught children and adult courses in the above mentioned subjects for four years in New York City and Venezuela.  

EXHIBITIONS:

The Patriot, curated by Jamian Juliano-Villani, O’Flaherty’s, New York - 2022.

Painters Painting Drawing, curated by Devan Avadikian & Lucy Tarquinio, 41 Cooper Sq, New York – 2021.

OLA Senior Thesis Exhibition, The Cooper Union, New York – 2021.

The Benjamin Menschel Fellowship Exhibition, The Cooper Union, New York – 2021.

River Show, curated by Kian Mckeown, Queens, NY – 2021.

Virtual BFA Show 2020, Serving The People, stp.world – 2020.

Tree Show, curated by Kian Mckeown, New York – 2020.

The Cooper Union Painting, Photography, Audiovisual, 2D & 4D Shows, New York – 2018 to 2019.

Painting through Photography, curated by Francesco Santoro Valencia, Venezuela – 2016.

Arianna y el laberinto (organized by selected students from Mgr. G. Battista Scalabrini Art Academy), Centro Cultural Eladio Alemán Sucre, Valencia, Venezuela – 2015.