Photo Credit: Vadu Rodrigues
Gustavo Uriel Ayala is an artist and educator whose work uses wrestling as a framework to grapple with the legacy of masculine competition and its continued veneration as the ideal masculinity. Drawing from his experiences as a closeted, gay and Mexican immigrant in the Midwest, his vibrant paintings harness visibility to explore the intersections between masculinity and marginalized identities. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, where he received an MFA in Studio Art. His thesis, “Caught in the Act,” was exhibited at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum in East Lansing, MI. He holds a BFA in Painting from Herron School of Art + Design at Indiana University Indianapolis, where he afterwards served as Gallery Manager and Curatorial Assistant at the Galleries at Herron.
