Ali Santana
Assistant Arts Professor
Ali Santana is a multidisciplinary artist from Brooklyn, NY, who draws inspiration from community, nature, ritual, ancient technology and Hip Hop culture. His work combines time-based media, rhythmic storytelling, and emerging technologies to create immersive experiences exploring history, identity, abstract storytelling and Black improvisational traditions. Santana works across video art, sound, sculpture, live performance and installation. Ali graduated from The City University of New York, BMCC, with an AAS in Multimedia Design and earned a BFA in Computer Animation from The State University of New York, FIT.
Ali has exhibited at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam's (IDFA) DocLab, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) and Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. Santana has performed at Brooklyn Museum, Mana Contemporary, and Roulette Intermedium. Notably, he created a commissioned large-scale immersive installation for the Onassis Foundation's 2023 "Archive of Desire Festival.
Ali is a celebrated educator inspiring students of all ages. He received the "Innovation in Teaching Artistry" Award 2019 from the Teaching Artist Guild. He has collaborated with local community organizations and larger organizations, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Apple Inc.