Mario Ayala Unveils Life Sized Van Portraits at CAM Houston
Exploring themes of class, labor and self-expression through the lens of car culture.
Summary
- Mario Ayala’s new show at CAMH features seven actual size van paintings that use the vehicle’s body as a canvas
- Ayala’s new work features seven large van paintings that act as “pseudo-portraits”
The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) has inaugurated ‘Seven Vans,’ the first U.S. solo museum exhibition for Los Angeles-based artist Mario Ayala. On view from November 14, 2025, through June 21, 2026, the exhibition features seven life-size van paintings that expand the artist’s celebrated use of shaped canvases.
Created specifically for the CAMH, each meticulously detailed painting depicts the rear of a van, transforming the commercial and countercultural vehicle into a “pseudo-portrait.” Ayala intentionally removes the wheels and other markers of function, presenting the vans as motionless figures that speak to the lives and labor of their owners. The precise details, such as faded stickers, patchy repairs, and custom airbrush work (a technique borrowed from auto body painting), convey the owner’s personality and resourcefulness without ever depicting a figure.
“I daydream a lot while driving, and [my practice of] RWD (Research While Driving) developed from this process. Over the course of six years, I’ve been documenting the rear perspective of each vehicle encounter. Houston’s identity reminds me of Southern California with its sprawling space, car dependent roads and diverse communities,” said the artist to the museum.
The exhibition is rooted in the hybridity that defines Ayala’s practice: the interplay between fine art and popular culture. By synthesizing industrial painting techniques with the visual language of lowrider aesthetics and Chicano muralism, Ayala explores themes of class, labor and self-expression through the lens of car culture.
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
5216 Montrose Blvd
Houston, TX 77006
