Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Paola Cabal has lived in Chicago since 2001. A site-specific installation artist, Cabal is best known for her rigorous observational studies of daylight over time-movements the artist photographs on site, then paints directly into spaces trompe l'oeil-style using spray paint. As an artist and educator, Cabal is interested in the intersection between physics and perception and co-teaches a course called "Articulating Time and Space" alongside astrophysicist Kathryn Schaffer at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Accolades include a fellowship from the Illinois Arts Council and an Individual Artist award from the Richard H Driehaus Foundation. "What Means Light", the artist's 2020-21 installation at the Arts Club of Chicago, received critical acclaim at Bad at Sports and Los Angeles' Artillery Magazine. Cabal completed a joint commission for the Chicago Transit Authority and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) in 2016 and was Artist in Residence at the Chicago Cultural Center in 2017. Recent installation sites include the Dock 6 Collective warehouse (Chicago), Selena Gallery (Brooklyn), The Chicago Cultural Center, DEMO Project Space (formerly in Springfield, IL, now demolished), the Sullivan Galleries at the School of the Art Institute, and the Riverside Art Center (Riverside, IL). She has been featured in articles for Chicago Woman Magazine, F News Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times. In addition, she has recently been reviewed in the Chicago Tribune, Art News Online, and NewCity Art.