Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez: Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá

Location

Institute of the Arts and Sciences
100 Panetta Ave, Santa Cruz, CA
P (831) 502-7252
Email ias@ucsc.edu

Dates and Times

September 25, 2026 - March 7, 2027
12 - 5 p.m. Wednesday - Sunday
(Closed Monday and Tuesday)

“Ni de aquí, ni de allá” (“not for here, not from there”), is a phrase commonly used by bilingual, bicultural communities. In the exhibition the phrase becomes a bold declaration of dual belonging against a violent notion of nationalism and identity. Through paintings, immersive installations, 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 and activism.

Curated by internationally recognized curator Kate Fowle, this exhibition is organized in partnership with The Center for Art & Advocacy and as part of Visualizing Abolition, an arts-based initiative that reaches across prison borders to contribute to the unfolding collective story and alternative imagining underway to create a future free of prisons.

About the artist:

Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez is a renowned visual artist working at the intersections of contemporary art, graffiti, vinyl toys, fashion and design, and art activism. His work is inspired by the empowerment of marginalized communities and the fight for representation. 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.

Photos by Tim Correira.