Raul Ayala’s practice bridges art, social engagement, and pedagogy through large-scale paintings, site-specific installations, collaborative murals, performance, and other public interventions. As a drawing and painting lecturer at Rutgers University, his classroom mirrors his studio: a space for connection, storytelling, and hands-on experimentation. Honored with awards in both New York and Ecuador, Ayala’s work weaves cultural narratives and ecological themes into the fabric of shared spaces, inviting audiences to see familiar places anew.

Ayala’s recent projects include Hatarisunchik, commissioned by El Museo del Barrio’s Talk of the Town Residency (2024); A Giving Hand for NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine (2024); and Karanakuy, an altar installation at Green-Wood Cemetery (2024).

His recent mural commissions range from Juntos Caminando with Layqa Nuna Yawar for Make the Road New York (2024) to Aya Uma in Jamaica, Queens (2023), Nuestra Épica, a collaboration with Vertigo Graffiti for Metro de Quito (2023), and the triptych Yakumanta at Yaku Museo del Agua (Museum of Water) (2022).