Esteban Samayoa: Somethin' Bout the East | May 8 - July 11, 2026

COL is pleased to present "Esteban Samayoa: Somethin’ Bout the East" opening May 8th.

Through new paintings, collages and sculptures, Samayoa reflects on the lived realities of communities pushed to the eastern edges of cities through displacement and gentrification. Often labeled as marginal or neglected, these neighborhoods reveal something else when lived in and moved through: resilient ecosystems of culture, food, family-run businesses, and tightly woven community life. Drawing from his own experiences of the “East,” Samayoa will present a group of works that vary in structure, material, and form, mirroring the diversity and complexity of these places. Together, the works consider survival, adaptation, and the beauty that persists outside the center.

Samayoa (b. 1995) is an Oakland-based artist whose practice moves fluidly between charcoal drawing, airbrushed painting, ceramics, and installation. Rooted in memory and community, his work weaves together his personal history, Guatemalan materials, and process-driven experimentation to explore how meaning accumulates through use, labor, and time. His work has been exhibited widely throughout the Bay Area and beyond, with notable presentations at the ICA San Jose; Charlie James Gallery, LA; Andrew Kreps, New York; Good Mother Gallery, LA; and he will have a solo show at COL Gallery opening in May.

Images:

Harriet Salmon Armament III (Big Sur), 2026 Glazed ceramic, silk organza, stainless steel mesh, watercolor on paper, mohair wool, silicone gromets 21 x 19.75 x 5 in (53.3 x 50.2 x 12.7 cm)

Esteban Samayoa My Pain, Mi Ropa, 2025 Airbrush on tanktop 48 x 48 in (121.9 x 121.9 cm)