BIOGRAPHY
Ayala is a New York based contemporary visual artist whose multidisciplinary work explores spirituality, ancestry, and feminine power. Born into a lineage of creative women from an Andean border city, she draws deeply from her Indigenous Colombian-Ecuadorian roots and lived experience as a first-generation American.
Through what she calls Indigenous Surrealism, Ayala creates new visual narratives rooted in real stories of resistance and resilience. Her large-scale oil and airbrush portraits serve as spaces of sanctuary, dreamlike realms where her protagonists are safe and free from the harmful narratives imposed by dominant culture.
Her work is characterized by vibrant color and ethereal figuration centering themes of transcendence, healing, and the divine feminine. She holds a BFA from California College of the Arts, where she studied painting, animation, and graphic design.
Ayala has exhibited in solo and group shows, and her work has been recognized by global brands and cultural influencers. Through immersive, visually rich storytelling, she invites empowerment and reconnection to ancestral wisdom, while continuing to explore color and the sacred in everyday life.
my art story
Hey Soul Family,
I’m Yesenia Vanessa, Ayala is my last name, artist signature, and the heart of my brand. I'm first-generation American con raíces Indígenas. My parents are from the Andean town Ipiales in southern Colombia on the border of Ecuador. I come from a family of strong women, five sisters who all share a creative spirit. Our father, a skilled woodcarver and carpenter, pretty much built much of our home with his own hands.
As a kid, I was constantly drawing. I’d get in trouble at school for being too wrapped up in my imagination. Other students would ask if I was an artist, but back then, I wasn’t sure what that meant. Everything changed when my sister helped me find a spot at a performing arts high school in Kansas City. That moment shaped my life. I studied painting, sculpture, and drawing by day, and worked airbrushing clothes at the mall by night. One incredible teacher believed in me and helped me apply to college. Thanks to that support, I earned a scholarship to California College of the Arts in San Francisco.
Living in a big city on my own was difficult. I was a full-time student, juggling 3 jobs to support myself. Over time, I began to feel disconnected. I left my college painting program because I didn't realize that I could create a space for myself in the art world. I shifted paths and explored animation and graphic design. That led me to an internship at "Got Milk?" Goodby Silverstein & Partners, while grateful for every tool I picked up, my heart always belonged to painting.
After reading The Power of Positive Thinking, I moved to New York with just two suitcases and a curiosity about what I was capable of. I rented a room in the Bronx where my art began to circulate on social media through influencers, celebrities and entrepreneurs. Years later, I've become the very representation I longed to see. I had a full circle moment where I gave an artist lecture for an art college. Afterwards a student from Guatemala told me how much it meant to her. She said that it was the first time she truly felt seen in that space.
THIS IS WHY I DO IT
I got emotional thinking about teen me, searching for community. To now offer that experience to another young artist is an honor and I am so GRATEFUL to have found a sense of purpose. I am a proud daughter of immigrants, using my God given gifts to shine a light on the faces and voices being silenced. It's both a responsibility and a blessing to tell stories and take up space.
Thank you so much for walking this path with me! My practice is rooted in spirituality, ancestry, the divine feminine and I hope to inspire a sense of empowerment in others. Your support helps the continuation of this mission. I’m excited to create with you. This is only the beginning!
-Vanessa Ayala