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"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:
WALLS THAT SPEAK @ CHAFFEY COMMUNITY MUSEUM OF ART
Walls that Speak: New Work by Man One, Cosmé Cordova and Joe Ded
Exhibition runs: April 9 – July 26, 2026
This exhibit highlights recent work not previously exhibited in a museum setting by three local mid-career Chicano artists. Each has used his expressive style to both create important works of art and to build community engagement in their hometowns.
Ontario artist Man One’s career as a muralist engages communities of the Pomona Valley and greater Los Angeles by addressing an engaged public on outdoor murals. He is creating an original site-specific mural for Walls That Speak.
In addition to his art practice, Cosmé Cordova has been an inspirational leader in Riverside as the owner of Division 9 gallery. He developed community engagement in the arts as the co-founder of the Riverside Arts Walk and an annual citywide celebration of the arts on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). His own art is a unique synthesis of graffiti, abstract forms and imagery.
Joe Ded is a versatile artist who is steeped in the Chicana/o mural movement of East Los Angeles of the1970s. Largely self-taught, he is based in Montclair. His iconography draws from a wide range of popular and art historical sources. His art and talent continue to develop as opportunities for large scale works emerge.
These three uniquely talented artists are living evidence of the power of art to be an influential method of individual expression and community engagement.
Check out these opening reception pics from 4/11/2026
by Eduvina Orozco (IG: vina_orostudio)
Chaffey Community Museum of Art is located at:
217 S. Lemon Ave Ontario, California 91761
Phone: (909) 463-3733
Email: info@chaffeymuseum.org
Recap: The Character Show at Overspray in Pomona
Big ups to One Saints and Overspray for curating a great show!
The gallery literally spilled out onto the street with vendors and live painting. Lots of good convos, tagging black books and beats and rhymes by Dj Babu and the homie Rakaa. Enjoy some of the pics below:
Below are the 3 pieces I have in the show.
For serious inquiries contact Overspray
Phone: (909) 310-7952
GRAVE DIGGERS - available at Overspray
WICKED GAMES - available at Overspray
GRAFFBOOKS - Limited edition print available at Overspray
Brown Futurity: Artists and Their Archives
I have been invited to speak on a panel for the Mexicali Biennial this Saturday at Whittier College. I will be presenting alongside Xaviera Flores, Librarian and Archivist at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and artist and cultural worker Sandra de la Loza. Together, we will examine how artists can build, protect, and activate our archives as living documents of creative practice.
Event details:
Saturday, March 21 @ 3:00 pm
Brown Futurity: Artists and Their Archives
Whittier College (Hoover Building 100)
"We Belong Here" - Large Scale Public Art Project
WE BELONG HERE is a public art project collaboration that harnesses the power of creative expression in partnership with local artists and institutions. I was honored to be asked to participate in these large-scale art projections displayed on LA Plaza’s exterior walls. The pieces explore themes of the immigrant and undocumented experience, resilience, and call out the injustices affecting the communities of Los Angeles.
The art is visible nightly at the following five partnering institutions: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (LAPCA), California Community Foundation (CCF Headquarters), Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), Japanese American National Museum (JANM), and the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA). Each site presents a distinct selection of images reflecting its own artistic and cultural perspective and will be visible until October of 2026. More info on LA Plaza’s site…click here.
Here is a short video interview I did for the project. Enjoy.
Man One Named Goldhirsh Foundation and LA2050 Artist-In-Residence
“The Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 initiative have named Alejandro Poli, Jr. — better known as “Man One” — the organization’s first-ever artist-in-residence. His term runs through January 2027.”
My statement:
"As an artist and native Angeleno, I’m proud to have been selected as the inaugural artist-in-residence by the Goldhirsh Foundation and LA2050," Man One said. "I look forward to artistically contributing by spotlighting the people and places that continue to make Los Angeles an even better place."
