Philip DePoala is a visual artist from the Hudson Valley of New York. He studied Fine Art at the Woodstock School of Art and Pratt Institute. After receiving a BFA with high honors from Pratt Institute, he worked professionally in New York City in the Fine Arts for 5 years with several blue chip artists. He exhibited his sculptures, paintings, and interactive art at Black Rock City for the past 7 years with the support of 5 consecutive Honorarium Grants from Burning Man Arts. During this time he has traveled extensively through 48 states of the USA, Europe, and SE Asia studying visual art, indigenous culture, and ancient antiquities. Philip has produced and exhibited his artwork internationally since 2017. During this time he developed international collaborations with EDGE in Berlin, Germany and master mask carvers in central Java and Bali, Indonesia. He has been working directly with EDGE and its president, Tatiana Lupashina since its founding in Berlin, Germany in 2018.