Mario Ayala and Greg Ito
Sun Sprawl
Club Pro Los Angeles
1525 South Main Street, 3rd Floor, Los Angeles, California, CA 90015
March 23 – April 28, 2018

Now on view at Club Pro Los Angeles, Sun Sprawl is an exhibition of new paintings by Mario Ayala and Greg Ito. Both artists are based in Los Angeles, and the exhibition takes stanzas by Wanda Coleman—known as the “L.A. Blueswoman” and the “unofficial poet laureate of Los Angeles”—as a point of departure. Ayala and Ito explore the lexicon of symbols unique to the city, “elevating and reconfiguring the ubiquitous visual language and objects central to the experience and mythology of Los Angeles.” Ito, whose paintings utilize the format of manga, graphic novels, or storyboards, traces the history of his family’s internment and dislocation in Los Angeles through a mixture of macro and micro scenes. Ayala’s paintings are created using airbrushing techniques, referencing Los Angeles lowrider culture both aesthetically and conceptually, conflating the body with the automobile and using mechanical structures as sites for reflection on individual and municipal identity. A number of events are scheduled during the run of Sun Sprawl—an image below has some details, follow @clubprola on Instagram or contact the gallery for more information.
 

Installation view, Sun Sprawl, Mario Ayala and Greg Ito at Club Pro Los Angeles, 2018. Courtesy of Club Pro Los Angeles.


 

Mario Ayala, So Many Tears, 2018. Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 92 inches. Courtesy of Club Pro Los Angeles.


 

Greg Ito, Final Frontier, 2018. Acrylic on canvas, 55 x 45 inches. Courtesy of Club Pro Los Angeles.


 

Installation view, Sun Sprawl, Mario Ayala and Greg Ito at Club Pro Los Angeles, 2018. Courtesy of Club Pro Los Angeles.


 

Installation view, Sun Sprawl, Mario Ayala and Greg Ito at Club Pro Los Angeles, 2018. Courtesy of Club Pro Los Angeles.


 

Mario Ayala, Jumpstart, 2018. Acrylic on canvas. 48 x 48 inches. Courtesy of Club Pro Los Angeles.


 

Greg Ito, Birds, 2018. Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 84 inches. Courtesy of Club Pro Los Angeles.