Oriana Poindexter

Natural Color Photograph, "Giant Kelp"

Oriana Poindexter is a photographer and marine scientist focused on the intersection of art, science, and food from the sea. She earned her degrees at Princeton University and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. She went on to work for nearly a decade with academic institutions, government agencies, and environmental organizations as an expert in the sustainable seafood and fisheries management arenas. Poindexter’s photographs and cyanotypes have been featured by the Getty Museum and The Wall Street Journal, and she has created interpretive visual exhibits for the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Birch Aquarium. She founded Pelagic Projects in 2020 to focus on interdisciplinary projects that bridge art and science, applying her expertise in both fields to engage the senses, inspire awe, and impact positive change for the oceans. The artist is based in San Diego, CA, where she is working on her first book, The Iridescent Ones, to visualize the natural and cultural history of abalone species on the Pacific West Coast.