"CIEN" A Piece Dedicated To My Father
“CIEN”
Medium:
Acrylic, spray paint, paint markers, metallic paint, pumice, oil pastel and paper on cradled wood panel
Dimensions: 6” x 9”
Year: 2026
This painting is my submission for a massive L.A. group show I have been invited to participate in by my friend and well known curator and art critic Mat Gleason (scroll down for full exhibition info). The theme of the exhibition is to create a painting based on your favorite book. The artwork I created is based on the novel “Cien Años de Soledad” (One Hundred Years of Solitude) by Colombian Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez. I chose this book because Márquez was my father’s favorite author. My dad informally introduced me to his work by having his books lying around as peripheral reading material all over the house while I was growing up. Whether in the bathroom, living room, or bedroom, he pretty much owned every novel and short story he had ever written and they were all in spanish of course.
I was not too interested in reading any of these books until I was in college where I double majored in Studio Art and Spanish Literature. It was then that I read Márquez’s magnum opus, “Cien Años de Soledad”. Even though it wasn’t my favorite book at the time, I remember having brief conversations with my dad about the book but not really much more over the years.
Then about seven years ago, my father started showing signs of dementia. His condition got to a point where he could remember (or make up) certain things about his life but he didn’t have the attention span to read anymore. He would read a page but not be able to remember what he had just read. He would drift off and become uninterested in reading, which was difficult to see since reading was one of his favorite pastimes.
At this point a few years ago, I decided to get him audio books of Márquez’s novels and short stories and I would sit and listen to the books with him. He loved them! He would listen intently, sometimes chuckle and at times even nod his head as in agreement with the words being narrated as if they were being recalled in his deteriorating brain. Unfortunately, these moments were fleeting and never lasted more than ten minutes. He would eventually get up and walk away after losing interest in the story being told.
Nevertheless it made me happy to be able to share these tiny moments of lucidity with my father. He continues to be my hero and my role model. I dedicate this art piece to my dad, Alejandro Poli Sr. , and our shared experience of reading this great novel. My father passed away from complications due to his dementia on December 6th, 2025.
Love you Pops!
- Alejandro “Man One” Poli Jr.
Me and dad listening to audio book of Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel
Title: “CIEN” (ONE HUNDRED)
Medium: Spray paint, acrylic, pumice, paint markers, oil pastel, paper on cradled wood panel.
Dimensions: 6” x 9”
Year: 2026
This piece will be showing in Downtown LA (alongside over 400 other artists) all summer long…deets below:
