Raul Ayala’s practice bridges art and education, centering on large-scale paintings, site-responsive, collaborative murals and public interventions that unfold through co-creative dialogues. As a drawing and painting lecturer at Rutgers University, his classroom mirrors his studio: a space for connection, storytelling and hands-on experimentation.

Working between New York and Ecuador, Ayala’s recent projects include Hatarisunchik at 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 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 (2022). 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.