Mario Ayala

Mario Ayala, a Los Angeles native, paints in acrylic using an airbrush technique that borrows from car culture while creating a singular visual language in which elements contradict one another narratively and spatially. Championing California’s vernacular styles, his paintings and sculptural installations draw inspiration from hand-painted signage, tattoos, advertising, auto customization, and elements of lowrider aesthetics. Ayala pays particular attention to the material culture of Latinx identity—for example, commemorative T-shirts as outlets for public grieving.