Paola Balla is a Wemba-Wemba and Gunditjmara woman with Italian and Chinese heritage. She is an artist, curator, writer, educator and speaker. Paola developed the first Indigenous arts program at Footscray Community Arts Centre, where she continues as a member of the Indigenous Advisory Group. She was a senior curator on the First Peoples exhibition at Melbourne Museum, curated Sovereignty, and co-curated Unfinished Business: Perspectives on art and feminism at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. She teaches at Victoria University.