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1991, Born in Bogotá, Colombia

Lives and works in San Francisco, CA

 

EDUCATION

2016, MFA, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

2013, Bachelor of Arts. Earlham College, Richmond, IN. 

2009 International Baccalaureate. United World College, San José, Costa Rica

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SOLO AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS 

2025 

- (Forthcoming) Ahora, Nosotres, Galería De La Raza, San Francisco, CA

2024 

- Roadwork w/Cheryl Derricotte, KALA Art Institute, Berkeley, CA

2023 

- Orquídeas, 500 Capp St. San Francisco, CA 

2022

- I am Very Lucky, Very Lucky To Be Trans, SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA

2021

- After Touch, Ochi Projects, Los Angeles, CA

2020

- Double Exposure w/ Walt Bistline, Richmond Art Museum, Richmond, IN

- This Is Weird Without You, Ochi Projects, Los Angeles, CA (online)

2019

Spillage, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2018

Conversation 7 w/ Farah Al Qasimi, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, San Francisco, CA 

Burn Notice, Tmoro Projects with Conrad Guevara , Santa Clara, CA 

2017  

Slow Clap, R/SF Projects, San Francisco, CA 

De:Formal Gallery, New York, NY 

Introductions, Unauthorized SFMOMA Solo Show, San Francisco, CA

2016  

El Hábito, Bass & Reiner, San Francisco, CA

2014  

Danny & Him, Paul Sack Gallery, San Francisco, CA 

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 

2024

- Histórias LGBTQIA+, Museu de Arte de São Paulo. Curated by Adriano Pedrosa & Julia Bryan-Wilson, São Paulo, Brazil

- Hoy es posible, hace 20 años impensable, La Fundación Arteria & Colombia Diversa, Bogotá, Colombia

- I’ll Be Your Mirror, Mighty Real/Queer Detroit, Curated by Patrick Burton, Detroit, MI

- 50th Anniversary Exhibition, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA

2023

- What Remains, SF LGBT Center, San Francisco, CA

- Queer-ish, Photography & The LGBTQ+ Imaginary, Curated by Ken Gonzales-Day Scripps College, Claremont, CA

- What Remains, Schlomer Haus Gallery, San Francisco, CA  

- Distribuidx, Curated by César García-Alvarez, Lisson Gallery, NYC, NY

- Dismantling Monolights, curated by Jamil Hellu, SF CAMERAWORK, San Francisco, CA

- Have You Seen Me?, San Francisco State University Gallery, San Francisco, CA

- Sueñx, The Mistake Room, Los Angeles, CA 

2022

- SECA Art Award, SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA

- All of Us, All of Us, Curated by Roula Seikaly, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA

- Creative Attention, Art And Community Restoration, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, CA

- Image Gardeners, curated by Sara Wessen Chang, McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco, CA

- CULT, Seattle Art Fair, Seattle, WA

2021

- Eureka! Creativity in California: Artists of the Golden State, the Governor's Mansion. Sacramento, CA

- Ginga, Chandran Gallery, San Francisco, CA

- Janus II, CULT Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA

2020  

State of the Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR

2019  

Touching History, Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA

Sense of Self, Institute of Contemporary Art San José, San José, CA

2018  

Bay Area Now 8, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA 

Female Trouble, CULT Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA

RELAY II, Slide Space 123, Oakland, CA

UNTITLED Art Fair, San Francisco, CA

MonSTARS, Swim Gallery, San Francisco, CA 

Albion, San Francisco, CA       

2017   

The Black Infinity, NoPlace Gallery, Columbus, Ohio

Kah-meel-E-yun, Pro Arts, Oakland, CA. Curated by Yarrow Slaps

Open Studios, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA

Lil' Swim, Luggage Store Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Bestiario/Menagerie, Adobe Backroom Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2016  

Shaky Towns Vol. 2, The Battery, San Francisco, CA

#Simulacra, Embark Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Commons Dilemma, Gallery Route One, Point Reyes, CA

The Infraordinary, Adobe Backroom Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Landfill/Bedrock, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco,

Om I'm Home, Luggage Store Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Shaky Towns, VOL I. Alter Space, San Francisco, CA

Reconstructed, Good Mother Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Welcome To The Left Coast, Luggage Store Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Yaocihuatl, Social Policy, San José, CA

Group Show, Burnt Oak Gallery, Oakland, CA

MFA SFAI Exhibition, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA

Parking Lot Art Fair w/Residence/SF, San Francisco, CA

StART up Fair w/Embark Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Mistaken Impressions, Root Division, San Francisco, CA

2015  

So·lil·o·quy, Swell Gallery, San Francisco, CA

PARANOIA, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA

This Is Not A Painting, Embark Gallery, San Francisco, CA

The Murphy & Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards, SOMArts, San Francisco, CA

Alejandro Almaza Pereda's Pop-up Show, Walter & Mc Bean Gallery, San Francisco, CA

LGBT Por La Vida, Adobe Books, San Francisco, CA

Paul Sack Building Award, Still Lights Gallery, San Francisco, CA

God Particle II The Mattress Formula, McRoskey Mattress Factory, San Francisco, CA

Holy Hole, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Milhojas, Swell Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2014

New Genres Salon, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

Re-Frame w/ Pinkard Collective, Zellerbach Quad, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

BeLong, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Homegrown: Brooklyn Finest, Tutu’s, Brooklyn, NY

An Invitiation: To Practice, Glasshouse Art&Life Lab, Brooklyn, NY

2013  

Better Than Milk. Leads Gallery, Richmond, IN 

2012  

114th Annual Exhibition of Richmond & Area Artists. Juror: Ron Monsma. Richmond, IN

2011  

Group Show at 305 w. 29th st. New York Arts Program, Manhattan, NY

2019   

Fall and Spring Student Show, Leads Gallery, Richmond, IN

2009   

United World College: Final Exhibition. San José, Costa Rica

 

AWARDS & HONORS

2025 Art Basel Medallist Art Handlxrs

2024 SF Pride Creativity Award 

2024 SFAC Individual Artist Grant

2023 Creative Work Fund Grant w/ Galería de la Raza, San Francisco, CA

2023 Ruth Arts Foundation w/ Art Handlxrs*, San Francisco, CA

2022 Open Space Grantee, Rainin Foundation, San Francisco, CA

2022 Transgender District GI Program, San Francisco, CA

2022 SFMOMA SECA Award, San Francisco, CA

2021 California Arts Council Established Artist Fellow

2021 Grant for Arts Equity, Minnesota Street Projects

2020 San Francisco Artadia Award

2020  State of the Art 2020, Crystal Bridges

2020 Art on Market Kiosk Poster Series, SFAC  

2019  Alternative Exposure Grantee, Southern Exposure 

2018  Bay Area Now 8, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

2018  Facebook Artist in Residence

2018  Alternative Exposure Grantee, Southern Exposure   

2017  Tosa Studio Award

2017  San Francisco Artist Award Finalist

2017  Art Matters Award Nomination

2016  Graduate Student Recognition Award, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

2015  Murphy & Cadogan Contemporary Art Award, San Francisco Foundation for the Arts

2014-16 Master of Fine Arts merit Fellowship in Photography, San Francisco Art Institute 

2013   Departmental & College Honors, Earlham College, Richmond, IN

2012   Mary Jane Harvey Memorial Award. For outstanding work in the Arts

2012   W. Ray Stevens Jr. Memorial Award for ‘Horizontal Gravitational Force’

2012   Merit Award at the Richmond Art Museum for ‘Corpse # 1’

2009-2013  Full Scholarship Earlham College

2009-2013  Davis UWC scholar

2007-2009  Scholarship United World College Costa Rica

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PRESS

2019  

Strange Fire Collective Interview with: Marcel Pardo Ariza 

Beyond the Studio: Marcel Pardo Ariza 

Congratulations Pine Tree: Bluets with Marcel Pardo Ariza

2018 

The (Art) Scene Podcast: Marcel Pardo Ariza & The Tallest Part of the Arch

Womxn* Art Handlers Carefully Deinstall Glass Ceiling of the Preparator World

Expansive, Exciting 'Bay Area Now 8' Lives Up to Its Name, KQED

Photographers Reveal Through Concealment, KQED

 SF new art space opens its doors with an exhibition called "MonSTARS"

At Santa Clara's tmoro projects, Still Life enters Other Dimensions, KQED by Sarah Hotchkiss

2017 

Slow Clap, Photograph Magazine by Roula Seikaly 

Art Talk Radio w/ Kunstcapades: Marcel Pardo Ariza

Art Scene Podcast: Marcel Pardo Ariza  

Fall Season brings rich gallery openings by Charles Demarais, SF Chronicle

Slow Clap, Juxtapoz Magazine 

Slow Clap, Art Business.com by Alan Bamberger 

Art Exhibition composed only of Color and Light, Charles Desmarais, SF Gate

BYOB, www.byobworldwide.com

Bestiario/Menagerie Review by Roula Seikaly

2016  

Marcel Pardo Ariza interview by Clare Szydlowski, Venison Magazine 

Episode 12: The (art) Podcast, Mariel Bayona, curator of El Hábito

El Hábito, Art Business

Interview by Michelle Weidman for Congratulations Pine Tree Episode 91

West Coast MFA Dispatch by Roula Seikaly for Humble Arts Foundation

Graduate MFA Exhibition at Fort Mason by Art Business 

In Focus MFA graduates San Francisco Art Institute

Mistaken Impressions at Root Division by Aaron Harbour for Curiously Direct

This is not a Painting at Embark Gallery by Xiao Wang

2015

So Li Lo Quy at Swell Gallery by I. Leber

Milhojas at Swell Gallery by Jackie Valle 

 

ARTIST TALKS

2023

Berkeley City Hall, Municipal Agency, Artist Talk: Marcel Pardo Ariza, Print Public AIR, Berkeley, CA

San Francisco City Hall, Drag Up! Fight Back!, Union Square, San Francisco, CA

2022

Neuehouse, Todes Juntes: In Conversation with Marcel Pardo Ariza and Chris Vargas, Los Angeles, CA

Neuehouse, Marcel Pardo Ariza: Caring Futures, Trans Visual Culture, Representation, and the Media, conversation with César García Alvarez from the Mistake Room. Los Angeles, CA

Palo Alto Art Center, Creative Attention: Artist Residency Conversation with Christine Wong Yap and Marcel Pardo Ariza, Online 

Stanford University, Invited Artist Lecture, Kim Beil Art Worlds, How artists make their own worlds, Stanford, CA

2021

ONE Archives at USC Libraries, After Touch: Marcel Pardo Ariza in conversation with Dan Paz, Los Angeles, CA

Stanford University, Artist Talk invited by Kari Orvik, Stanford, CA

USF, Artist Talk for Art / Architecture class with Sergio de la Torre, San Francisco, CA

Richmond Art Museum,  Artist Talk Double Exposure exhibition, Online

American Society Visual Arts, In the Studio w/Marcel Pardo Ariza interviewed by Natalia Viera Salgado, Online

USF Art + Architecture Lecture Series, Marcel Pardo Ariza invited by Liat Berdugo, San Francisco, CA

Harvard Graduate School of Design, Hidden Figures: The City, Architecture and the Construction of Race and Gender. invited by Hansy Better Barraza, Online

2020

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Reflecting Communities: Marcel Pardo Ariza & Frank Blazquez moderated by Lauren Haynes, Bentonville, AR

SFSU, MFA Visiting Artist Lecture Series - Marcel Pardo Ariza invited by Sean McFarland, Online

San José museum of Art, on Kinship and Collaboration w/Marcel Pardo Ariza, Online

Urban School of San Francisco,  Artist Talk. invited by: Kelli Yon, Online, 

Mills College, Artist Talk for Living Form: Sociology & Art with Chris Sollars & Mario Hernandez, Oakland, CA

SFAI, Artis Talk for Artist as Culture Producer invited by Kathryn Reasoner, San Francisco, CA

Mills College, Artist Talk for Advanced Photography Class, Chris Fraser, Oakland, CA

2019 

CSU Monterey Bay, Visiting Artist Series w/Marcel Pardo Ariza invited by Juan Luna Avin, Monterey, CA 

Mills College, Artist Talk, Digital Photography with Chris Fraser, Oakland, CA

San Jose State University, Guest Lecture for Image and Idea Invited by Eliana Cetto, San José, CA 

San Jose State University, Guest Lecture for Robin Lasser’s Photography Class, San José, CA

CCA, Photography Department Series Marcel Pardo Ariza, invited by Alice Shaw, Oakland, CA

Mills College, Artist Talk, Pictures, Things + Meaning with Jennifer Brandon, Oakland, CA

2018

Stanford University, Artist Talk for Art Writing with Kim Bell, Stanford, CA

Mils College, Artist Talk for The Artist Using Photography invited by Chris Fraser, Oakland, CA

Stanford University, Guest Lecture for Intermediate Photography with Jamil Hellu, Stanford, CA 

Mills College, Artist Talk for Installation Class with Chris Sollars, Oakland, CA

2017

The Painting Salon, R/SF Projects, San Francisco, CA

2016

UC Berkeley, Guest Lecture José Joaquin Figueroa, Berkeley, CA

SFAI, Artis Talk Class with Johnna Arnold, San Francisco, CA

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COMISSIONS & PUBLIC ART

2024 Public Art, All The Nights We Got To Dance, GLBT Historical SOCIETY & San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC), The Line Hotel, San Francisco, CA

2023 Public Art, HIRE TRANS FOLKS, Clarion Alley Mural Project, San Francisco, CA 

Photography Commission for the book Trans Hirstory in 99 Objects, Museum of Trans History & Art (MOTHA) with Hirmer Publishers

2022 Public Art, Todes Juntes, 80’ x 29’ Billboard in Sunset Boulevard, curated by The Mistake Room (César García-Alvarez), and Neuehouse (Zandie Brockett), Los Angeles, CA

Public Art, On Community Resilience, 30’ x 30’, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, CA

2020 Public Art, We Need A…, Bay Area Walls, in collaboration with Juan Carlos Rodriguez for SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA

2019 Commission, Those at Night, 20’ x 10’ wall at Meta Open Arts, San Francisco, CA 

2019 Public Art, Ahí estamos todes, 29’ x 10’ wall at Making Waves Academy, Richmond, CA

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COLLECTIONS

SFMOMA, 2023

Kadist, 2021

The Battery, 2019

Meta Open Arts, 2019

The Wing, 2019

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ARTIST RESIDENCIES

2025 Fire Island Residency (July 11-August 1, 2025)

2023-24 500 Capp St. (January 20-February 17, 2024)

Print Public Municipal Artist In Residence, KALA Art Institute (March 12-October 2024)

2022 Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, CA (January 15 -May 15) 

2018 Facebook Artist in Residence, San Francisco, CA (December 3-16)

2016 The Battery Artist In Residence, San Francisco, CA (September 6-December 6)

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PANELS 

2024

-SF Art Book Fair & Minnesota Street Projects, Handle With Care a book launch and conversation with Bay Area Based Art Handlxrs, featuring Bella Manfredi, Yoni Asega, Ambrose Trataris & Marcel Pardo Ariza. San Francisco, CA

-SF Chronicle & Four One Nine, Nightlife as Activism, featuring Marcel Pardo Ariza, Honey Mahogany, Per Sia and Devon Devine moderated by Tony Bravo, San Francisco, CA

-California College of the Arts, Drag & Democracy Panel Featuring Afrika Amerika & Honey Mahogany, moderated by Marcel Pardo Ariza. San Francisco, CA

-The Transgender District, Health & Wellness Fair panel featuring Marcel Pardo Ariza, Melanie Ampon moderated by SNJV. San Francisco, CA

- Clarion Alley & Minnesota Street Projects Trans Labor & Practices, featuring Whit Guerrero, Star Amerasu & Keny Boudreaux, moderated by Marcel Pardo Ariza 

- Leslie-Lohman Museum x Might Real Queer Detroit, Pride, Prompt and Community: Art’s Potential For Activism Today featuring Marcel Pardo Ariza, Tylonn Sawyer, Erika Diamond, Sanh Tran, Anthony Peyton Young, Billy Miller. Detroit, MI

 

2022

-ICA SF, Catchlight Visual Storytelling Summit: What does it mean to be an Image Gardener? Marcel Pardo Ariza x Daniella Zalcman x Chanell Stone Moderated by Sara Wessen Chang. San Francisco, CA

- SFMOMA, More Than a Month, Marcel Pardo Ariza, Maria Guzman Capron, Jovanna Venegas, San Francisco, CA

-ARTADIA, Artists Outside of Institutional Channels, Marcel Pardo Ariza, Taylor Le Melle, Alejandro Cesarco, Moderated by Juana Berrío

 

2021 

-Harvard Graduate School of Design: Hidden Figures: The City, Architecture and the Construction of Race and Gender featuring: Roberta Washington, Dr. Lily Song, Jessie Hemphill, Kristen Jeffers, Marcel Pardo Ariza, Lu Wenyu moderated by Hansy Better Barraza 

-Javeriana University, Tribugá, How are creative processes linked with environmental contexts? Marcel Pardo Ariza, Silvia Bermúdez, Juanita Delgado, Andrea Hoyos, Johanna Amaya. Bogotá, Colombia 

 

2020

-Queer Cultural Center, AQUÍ ESTAMOS Y AQUÍ SEGUIREMOS / HERE WE ARE AND HERE WE WILL BE Marcel Pardo Ariza, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pati Cruz, Cristóbal Guerra, Awilda Rodríguez Lora, Lis / Simón, Juan Carlos Malavé, Moderated by: Natalia Viera Salgado & Juan Carlos Rodriguez Rivera 

-Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Reflecting Communities, Marcel Pardo Ariza & Frank Blazquez moderated by Lauren Haynes 

 

2019

-The Wing, Salon Series, Maria Guzman Capron, Jay Katelansky, Marcel Pardo Ariza, Maryam Yousif moderated by Lolita Cros 

-Palm Springs Art Museum, Touching History, Marcel Pardo Ariza, Robert Andy Coombs, Jonathan Molina-Garcia, Kang Seung Lee, and Joey Terrill moderated by David Evans Frantz 

 

2018 

-YBCA, Bay Area Now 8 Series, Marcel Pardo Ariza & Andrew Wilson moderated by Susie Kantor 

-SFAC, In conversation, Marcel Pardo Ariza & Farah Al Qasimi moderated by Roula Seikaly

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EXHIBITIONS JURIED/PROGRAMS

2023 

Diversify Photo x Fujifilm, DEVELOP 2023, Tier 1 Mentor, Online

2021 

AXIS Gallery 15th National Juried Exhibition at Verge Center For The Arts, Sacramento, CA

FORECAST at SF CAMERAWORK. Jurors: Marcel Pardo Ariza, Adrian Burrell, PJ Gubatina Policarpio. San Francisco, CA

Alternative Exposures 2021 at Southern Exposure. Jurors: Marcel Pardo Ariza, Pablo Guardiola, Jessalym Aaland. San Francisco, CA   

2019

INTRODUCTIONS at Root Division. Jurors: Marcel Pardo Ariza, Susie Kantor and Ramekon OÁrwisters. San Francisco, CA 

SFAI Public Education Exhibition Juror, SFAI, San Francisco, CA 

2018

BFA Panel Reviews, SFAI, San Francisco, CA

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CURATORIAL PROJECTS

2024 DRAGFUTURA, SFMOMA’s first drag pageant, San Francisco, CA

2023-Present, Memoria Trans SF w/Julián Delgado Lopera, 500 Capp St. San Francisco, Ca

2022, Juanita: 30 Years of MORE!, San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries, San Francisco, CA

Depth of Feels, Minnesota Street Project Studios, San Francisco, CA

Feel The Future, SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA 

2021, Fierce Bloom, LGBT Castro Cultura District, Queer Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA

2019, Volatility, SFAI Public Education Exhibition, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA

We Stay Here Pintando Juntxs w/ Miriam Shafer, Mission High School, San Francisco, CA

2017, Constructed, Instead? R/SF Projects, San Francisco, CA

Bring Your Own Beamer (BYOB) w/Lauren Franklin and Alex Sanchez, R/SF, San Francisco, CA

2016 Correspondencia (Correspondence), w/ Angel Rafael Vázquez-Concepción, CTRL+SHFT collective, Oakland, CA

She’s on the Rag, w/ Angel Rafael Vázquez-Concepción, Cranium Corporation, San Francisco, CA

2014-2015, Curator and Director w/ Siedra Loeffler, Noroof Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2013, Curatorial Assistant, Clocktower Gallery, Manhattan, NY

Curatorial Assistant, Knockdown Center, Queens, NY

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WORKSHOPS

2023

SFMOMA, Héroes Locales, Public Education workshop, San Francisco, CA

2022 

Universidad de Puerto Rico de Mayagüez, En La Calle Quiero Ser Yo w/ Juan Carlos Rodriguez. Coloquio Del Otro Lao, Perspectivas y Debates Sobre Lo Cuir, Puerto Rico. 

Palo Alto Art Center, Trans Youth Media Workshops, Palo Alto, CA

Stanford University, Motion while Still, with Kim Beil’s class, Stanford, CA

2020

CCA, Virtual Preparator Workshop with Art Handxlrs* for Exhibition Design class with Chris Hamamoto 

2019

CCA, Building an Artist’s Life w/ Art Handlxrs, The Career Development Office

BAMPFA, Your Thriving Space w/ Juan Carlos Rodriguez Rivera 

Living Room Light Exchange, Art Handlxrs* and Equity in the Arts, invited by Liat Berdugo & Tanya Gayer

Making Waves Academy, Still Life & Photography, Art Class

Verge Center for the Arts, Art handling & Exhibition design w/ Kat Trataris. Invited by Aida Lizalde

2018 

SFMOMA, Repurposing the Library for Public Knowledge as part of Stephanie Syjuco’s Added Value project 

KADIST, Still Life & Genre Painting as part of The Feminist School of Painting by Ad Minolti 

Making Waves Academy, Still Life & Photography, Art Class

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