Two students of The San Francisco Art Institute have combined their considerable creative forces in the realisation of Going Nowhere, a joint exhibition that explores modern America and the artists’ experiences and opinions thereof.

Mario Ayala and Alex Ziv – students of the BFA and MFA respectively – have a rich West Coast-ness about their work, but both artists have their own clear styles. Ayala favours bold colours and chunky, collage-like compositions with a textured feel created with the use of gouache, enamel and other craft materials on his canvas. His work often features a juxtaposition of natural and man-made subjects; in particular a recurring appearance of flowers makes his pictures immediately recognisable. Ziv, in contrast, is a pen and ink artist which makes him the more painterly of the two, although his subjects are in fact more surreal than his co-exhibitor. Snake-necked women contort themselves through a landscape of warped Americana, symbology and branding.

The physical space of iconic art site Fecalface.com, FFDG in San Fransisco, is where the exhibition is taking place – have a look at the venue’s website for more information if you are going to be in the Bay area before 4th May.

Alex Ziv
The Hangaround
pen & ink on paper, 2013
26″ x 39″

Alex Ziv
Tension on Wire
pen & ink on paper, 2013
49″ x 35″

Mario Ayala
Green One
gouache, enamel, spray paint,
metallic powders on paper
20″ x 22″

Alex Ziv
L: Nympho Clantress
pen & ink on paper, 2013
14″ x 22″
R: Living Jews
pen & ink on paper, 2013
14″ x 22″

Mario Ayala
Blue One
gouache, enamel, spray paint,
metallic powders on paper
20″ x 22″

Alex Ziv
L: Black Faced Finches
pen & ink on paper, 2013
14″ x 22″
R: Final Tribe
pen & ink on paper, 2013
14″ x 22″

Alex Ziv
A Monument to the Pursuit
pen & ink on paper, 2013
38″ x 55″

Mario Ayala
Orange One
gouache, enamel, spray paint,
metallic powders on paper
20″ x 22″