Boston University Art Galleries Presents “Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá,” a Neo Indigenous Solo Exhibition by Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez
The bold new exhibition, on view September 5 through December 10 at BU's Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, features painting, street art, and cultural installation
Boston University Art Galleries Presents Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá, a Neo Indigenous Solo Exhibition by Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez
The bold new exhibition, on view September 5 through December 10 at BU’s Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, features painting, street art, and cultural installation.
Curated by Kate Fowle, Former Director of MoMA PS1
This fall, Boston University Art Galleries presents Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá (Not From Here, Not From There), a bold new solo exhibition by acclaimed artist Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez. Curated by internationally recognized curator Kate Fowle, the exhibition opens September 5 and will be on view through December 10, 2025, at BU’s Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery.
The phrase “ni de aquí, ni de allá,” commonly used by bilingual, bicultural communities, forms the heartbeat of the exhibition in a bold declaration of dual belonging, of complex identity, and of a life shaped by both presence and displacement. Through original paintings, immersive installations, 3D sculptural works, and a curated soundscape, Marka27 invites gallery goers into a vibrant, layered world where street culture meets Indigenous tradition, and personal memory collides with collective truth.
At the center of Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá is a deep exploration of identity shaped by immigration, incarceration, and resilience. The artist’s signature “Neo Indigenous” style merges graffiti, hip-hop, and Chicanx aesthetics with the visual languages of Mexican and Indigenous tradition. Handwoven rugs and cultural textiles appear throughout the exhibition not only as adornment, but as storytelling devices, embedded into paintings, draped over sculptural objects, and woven into immersive shrines. Serving as both aesthetic and spiritual anchors, Quiñonez honors ancestral memory while reclaiming public space for voices too often erased. For visitors, this exhibition offers both a sanctuary and conversational provocation, challenging viewers to reflect on the humanitarian and social issues shaping the immigrant experience and inspiring a sense of pride, empathy, and action.
“Art gave me a voice when systems tried to silence it,” says Quiñonez, whose early life included incarceration for graffiti—a medium that would later become his liberation. “This exhibition is about reclaiming power, about honoring where I come from while challenging the systems that try to define where I belong.”
Art gave me a voice when systems tried to silence it. This exhibition is about reclaiming power, about honoring where I come from while challenging the systems that try to define where I belong.
The works on view include over a dozen original paintings that combine acrylic, oil, and custom textiles, with embellishments painted directly onto the gallery walls extending the artwork beyond the frame and into the space itself. A central immersive installation transforms the gallery into a reimagined botánica; both a spiritual sanctuary and part neighborhood store featuring altars and shrines constructed from cultural textiles, flowers, and devotional objects. Everyday items are reimagined through an artistic lens, including repurposed coolers— a symbol of economic entry for many immigrants who begin to build a life here in the United States.
Additional sculptural works include reimagined paleta (ice cream) carts and large-scale resin paleta sculptures, including a dramatic hanging chandelier crafted from faux acrylic Mexican popsicles.
Boston University Art Galleries serves as a resource of learning and cultural engagement for Boston University and the surrounding metro area. The galleries maintain ongoing rotating exhibitions that allow for a wide scope of art to be featured from all ranges of mediums and artists. Part of the College of Fine Arts, the Boston University Art Galleries maintains an ongoing exhibition schedule in two locations on the University’s Charles River Campus—the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery and 808 Gallery. The galleries are free and open to all. BU Art Galleries animates the cultural life of Boston University by exhibiting inclusive, dynamic art that encourages learning and appreciation for the visual world. Exhibiting or promoting a work of art does not represent Boston University’s endorsement of the ideas, opinions or views expressed by the artist. bu.edu/art
Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez is a renowned international visual artist who is known for his diverse works that intersect contemporary art, graffiti, vinyl toys, fashion and design, and art activism. His public art street murals are a continuation of his heritage and connection to the Mexican Masters Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueiros, who are referred to as “los tres grandes” (the three great ones). His work is inspired by the empowerment of marginalized communities and the fight for representation.
Marka27’s artistry encompasses paintings, murals, drawings, mix-media pieces, and private commissions for major brands. His robust palette combines elements of street and pop culture with Mexican and Indigenous aesthetics, which he has coined as his signature look, “Neo Indigenous.” Marka27’s work has cemented his place in graffiti and street art history, and he has flourished as a product designer, gallery artist, toy designer, and more.
Internationally recognized for his dynamic visual language, Marka27 has exhibited globally and collaborated with major brands while creating landmark public art in cities across the U.S. He is a Frieze Los Angeles Impact Prize winner (2025) and a Right of Return and Art for Justice Fellow (2023, 2024), using his platform to amplify narratives around immigration, incarceration, and identity. Through his art, Marka27 invites viewers into a vibrant space where heritage and urban expression powerfully coexist.
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With more than 34,000 students, it is the fourth-largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges, along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes integral to the University’s research and teaching mission. In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. Learn more at bu.edu.
Established in 1954, Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a community of artist-scholars and scholar-artists who are passionate about the fine and performing arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through art. With programs in Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts, CFA prepares students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective, think broadly, and master relevant skills. CFA offers a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as a range of online degrees and certificates. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa