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

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