About the Artist
Isa Marcello (b.1992) is an artist, writer, and community organizer working in oil paint and gouache. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, and raised in Parkland, Florida, Isa jokes that his figurative practice is where “the Amazon Rainforest meets Rainforest Café.'' His aesthetic language draws from Sig Bergamin’s Maximalism, the work of Albrecht Dürer, the Brazilian Tropicália movement, Mexican Surrealism, American Pop Art, camp, and Brazilian Carnaval.
Education
Florida State University — Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Creative Writing, 2014; Studied under Paul Rutkovsky and Lilian Garcia-Roig.
Exhibitions
2023 Group Exhibition, “Together We Will,” Arts Gowanus - Brooklyn, New York - USA
2023 Group Exhibition, “Art Gaysel: P-Town 2,” Crew’s Quarters - Provincetown, Massachusetts - USA
2022 Group Exhibition, “Grounding,” witchess! collective IGTV screening - Brooklyn, New York - USA
2020 Group Exhibition, “The Street Art Project,” The Bowery Union - New York City - USA
2019 Solo Exhibition, “Drag Me To America,” Loupe Digital Studio - New York City - USA
2019 Group Exhibition, “On-Site,” Trestle Gallery - New York City - USA
2018 Group Exhibition, “Pumpkin Bisque,” Mana Contemporary - Miami - USA
2017 Group Exhibition, “Cut the Line,” My Immaterial Zone - Italy
2017 Group Exhibition, “Corpo Livre,” Revolta Da Lâmpara - São Paulo - Brazil
2017 Group Exhibition, “FUGAZ: Feria de Performance” - Barquisimeto - Venezuela
2015 Group Exhibition, “Art Gaysel,” Gaythering, Miami - USA
2014 Solo Exhibition, “It's Not Gay If They Don't Touch,” Tallahassee - Florida - USA
Collections
Hotel Gaythering Permanent Display, Miami, FL - USA
Private collections in São Paulo, Caracas, New Orleans, New York, Richmond, Washington D.C., Toronto, Cuzco, and Manaus.
Press
“President Series: Digital Zoom Presentation and Discussion,” ArtHouse NYC, May 2020.
“Conversations With Our Favorite Artists: Curated Livestream,” GFTD Instagram Live, Mar. 2020.
“Latinx Featured Artist.” AnkhLave Arts Alliance, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2020
“The Bowery Union Brings Its Street Art Project Indoors: Isabella Cortez, Stealth Art, Cavier, Tomaso Albertini, Duel RIS, Swoon, Oscar Lett, Miishab, Gagyi Botond, Bermeo, Indie 184 & More.” Street Art NYC, n.d. 24 Aug. 2020
"FSU Art Major Isabella Steele Profiled on FSU Site." Art News RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
Lopes, Helena. "Changing the closeting of History." FSView. FSViewnews.com, 6 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
"Isabella Steele – Featured on Campus.fsu.edu." College of Fine Arts. Florida State University, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
Featured & Published Work
Featured in “Burdenette of Dreams 1,” Fecund Mag Issue 3. 2020
Featured in “Masks Up PSA,” Oolite Arts, Miami, FL. 2020
Featured in “QuaranZINE Issue No. 2.” Web. Mitch Allen Creative, 6 Apr. 2020
Published "Help! I Can't Stop Becoming A Witch: An Exploration Of The Evolution Of Identity Through Personal Mythologies Involving The Queering Of Icons And The Self." DigiNole Commons. Florida State University, Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
Published "It's Not Gay If They Don't Touch": Challenging Heteronormative Empire and Countering the 'Closeting of History' Through Art." DigiNole Commons. Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence, Jan. 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
Steele, Isabella M. “O Que Não Mata Engorda,” select poetry collection, Literati Showcase, Florida State University, 2013.
Grants and Residencies
2023 Artist-in-residence at School of the Alternative — Black Mountain, North Carolina
2020 Artist-in-residence at The Bowery Union — LES, New York
2019 Artist-in-residence at Trestle Art Space — Brooklyn, New York
2016 Artist-in-residence at La Casa Escalona — Barquisimeto, Venezuela
2014 Recipient of the Honors In The Major Thesis Award — Florida State University
2013 Recipient of the IDEA Grant — Florida State University
2012 Recipient of the Literati Undergraduate Creative Writing Award — Florida State University
Public Art
2023 DUMBO Is Where Friends and Waters Meet; DUMBO Is For Artists and Lovers. Two original art pieces will be featured on pedestrian walkway barriers in DUMBO, Brooklyn starting in the summer of 2023. These works will rotate around Brooklyn’s most iconic tourist neighborhood for up to two years. This project is supported by the Brooklyn Bridge Park and the DUMBO Improvement District.
2020 Artist Assistant to Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya for her FINDINGS Project, Supported by the Heising-Simons Foundation. The mural celebrates women in STEM, Brooklyn diversity, and Asian-American belonging.
2018 Corpo Livre, São Paulo - Brazil. Public performance was done in collaboration with the local queer organization Revolta da Lâmpada and artist Davíd Rúbio. The performance celebrated queer bodily liberation.
2016 Dos Paraísos, Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Public performance was done in collaboration with Alexander Escalona, FUGAZ Féria de Performance, and UCLA Barquisimeto. The performance expressed frustration towards the limitation on movement in and around Venezuela.
Artist Talks
2020, “President Series: Digital Zoom Presentation and Discussion” — ArtHouse NYC
2020, “Conversations With Our Favorite Artists: Curated Livestream” — GFTD
2016, “No Es Gay Si No Se Tocan” — UCLA Barquisimeto, Venezuela
2015, “In Gloryhole We Trust” — Hotel Gaythering, Miami
2013, “Challenging the Closeting of History Through Art” — Florida State University, Tallahassee
Teaching
2020, Guest instructor at The Revolution Art School, Virtual/New York City
2014-2015, Drawing instructor at the Oglesby Art Center, Florida State University, Tallahassee
2014-2015, Painting instructor at the Oglesby Art Center, Florida State University, Tallahassee