Mario Ayala and Alfonso Gonzalez Jr.

The exhibition brings together a focused selection of collaborative and parallel works by Mario Ayala and Alfonso Gonzalez, Jr., tracing the arc of their shared practice from 2020 to 2026. Centered on their emergence as young Chicano artists, the presentation begins with the pivotal moment in which both artists began sharing a studio during the COVID-19 pandemic—an experience that forged a sustained dialogue around identity, community, and the built environment of Los Angeles. Approximately eight to nine key works by each artist will be presented in the upstairs galleries, in dialogue with selected pieces from the museum’s permanent collection. Together, these works foreground resonances around Chicanx/Latinx identity, urban experience, and intergenerational influence within the Long Beach and greater Los Angeles cultural sphere.