A Brooklyn artist told the Denton Record-Chronicle that the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design was removing an entire exhibit of his work, which was scheduled to open Feb. 19.
An anonymous tip to the Record-Chronicle on Wednesday alleged that the exhibit, by acclaimed street artist Victor Qui帽onez, also known as , includes work that denounces U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A university spokesperson confirmed the cancellation of the exhibit on Thursday morning, but gave no stated reason.
鈥淭he agreement with Boston University for this exhibition was terminated, and UNT has informed Boston University and Mr. Quinonez,鈥� the spokesperson said in an email.
In November, the UNT galleries website listed "Ni De Aqu铆, Ni De All谩" as an exhibit scheduled for the spring of 2026. On Thursday, it鈥檚 no longer listed.
鈥淚 received several DMs from UNT students earlier today,鈥� Qui帽onez said in an email message to the newspaper. 鈥淭hey were asking me if the show was closing early. ... I was confused because UNT has failed to reply to my emails for several days.鈥�
However, Qui帽onez did share an email he received from the university about the exhibit鈥檚 status:
鈥淚 am writing to let you know that the university has terminated the art loan agreement with Boston University Art Galleries for 鈥楴i de Aqu铆, Ni de All谩,鈥欌�� the message said. 鈥淭he university is making arrangements to return the exhibit to Boston University. Any activities associated with the exhibition are no longer necessary. However, please let us know if you have incurred travel expenses related to the exhibition for reimbursement.鈥�
The email was signed with a first name only and didn鈥檛 indicate any UNT department.
On campus, the glass windows of the CVAD Gallery were reportedly entirely covered in brown paper on Wednesday.
"Ni De Aqu铆, Ni De All谩" invokes the color-saturated textiles, architecture and food of Mexico and Mexican American communities in the U.S. And the exhibit, which was scheduled to open in the CVAD Gallery this month, explores Mexican and Mexican American identity and expression.
Qui帽onez鈥檚 art looks at the culture and community that is at once braided through the fabric of North America but trapped politically in a kind of no-man鈥檚-land. He drenches paleta carts in gold, repurposing them as nichos mexicanos, or shadow boxes that contain religious and cultural icons 鈥� a Virgen de Guadalupe framed with gilded calla lilies, a whisper from Diego Rivera鈥檚 famous Cargador de Flores. The exhibit recreates a bodega shelf full of multi-colored novena candles, a nod to historical Catholicism and colonization as well as the religious bonds that connect both immigrant and Latinos in America.
Some of the work is a pointed criticism of ICE, which has provoked protests all over the country since the Trump administration鈥檚 pointed increase in deportations and immigration enforcement. After several high-profile killings of protesters in Minneapolis, criticism of U.S. immigration policy and anger at ICE officers and the Trump administration surged.
Qui帽onez created giant, melting paletas 鈥� confrontational pieces that contain handcuffs or revolvers, like a fossilized dragonfly suspended in amber. Another piece brings the hustle of immigrant street food vendors into plain view 鈥� a clear paleta cart shaded by an umbrella printed with quiet American flags. Happy tassels are on the cart鈥檚 handle. But the broad side that patrons can see? It鈥檚 emblazoned with a message: 鈥淚.C.E. SCREAM.鈥�
The front of the cart has an official seal, but this one reads 鈥淯.S. Department of Stolen Land Security.鈥� Inside the shield on this seal? A masked face.
The exhibit also included art inspired by Marka27's murals 鈥� brown-skinned people surrounded by a riot of color.
Qui帽onez said the gallery was open to the public, and he thinks that a few people saw the exhibit for the short time that it was open.
The removal of the exhibit comes nearly one year after . Critics and some Jewish students said the show, in which two student artists, who were Muslim women, explored the war in Gaza and the fate of Palestinians. University officials didn鈥檛 remove the show, but at least one piece was removed from the gallery.
The removal of the work appears to violate the university鈥檚 policy governing art exhibits.
The university policy states: 鈥淒ecisions regarding works of art exhibited in UNT facilities shall be consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the State of Texas Constitution, the principles of academic freedom and academic responsibility, and applicable UNT System Regents Rules, UNT System Regulations, and campus policies.鈥�
The policy says that art doesn鈥檛 infringe on the constitutional rights of the viewer 鈥渟olely because a viewer is offended by the idea or opinion portrayed in a work of art.鈥� However, the policy doesn鈥檛 protect art that 鈥渋s likely to incite or produce imminent lawless action,鈥� or uses 鈥渇ighting words鈥� or is obscene.
Qui帽onez is also currently listed as the juror of the Paul Voertman Juried Student Exhibition last fall, a long-running and esteemed annual student exhibit at UNT. That exhibit is running through the end of the month in the Cora Stafford Gallery.
LUCINDA BREEDING-GONZALES can be reached at 940-566-6877 and cbreeding@dentonrc.com.
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