{"id":150788,"date":"2025-09-12T06:09:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T06:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/150788\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T06:09:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T06:09:15","slug":"south-station-art-installation-made-of-coolers-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/150788\/","title":{"rendered":"South Station art installation made of coolers explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tArts\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe gold pyramid of coolers makes a statement about street vendors and, if you look closely, about ICE.<\/p>\n

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\n\tVictor \u201cMarka27\u201d Qui\u00f1onez’s artist installation, entitled \u201cElevar La Cultura,\u201d in Dewey Square near South Station.
\n Photos by Madison Lucchesi\/Boston.com\t<\/p>\n

An art installation made entirely out of Coleman coolers spray painted gold is turning heads near South Station.<\/p>\n

The art piece, entitled \u201cElevar La Cultura\u201d \u2014\u00a0and subtitled \u201cA Tribute to Hustle, Heritage, and Survival\u201d \u2014\u00a0is inspired by street food vendors and undocumented workers, according to the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy<\/a>, which is hosting the piece.<\/p>\n

Created by the Brooklyn-based artist Victor \u201cMarka27\u201d Qui\u00f1onez, the coolers are stacked to resemble a Mayan pyramid<\/a> and are decorated with mirrors, marigold garland, and fake fruit.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlending ancestral symbolism with contemporary survival tools, the installation reclaims space and uplifts the beauty, resilience, and cultural power of marginalized communities,\u201d the artist\u2019s website<\/a> says. \u201cThese coolers carry more than food or flowers. They carry stories. They carry legacy. They carry dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of coolers in my basement, but I don\u2019t see them as art,\u201d one onlooker told Boston.com while looking at the installation Thursday. But the piece is \u201cnot a bad thing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

On the front of the piece, several coolers are full of statuettes from Catholicism and Asian and Latin cultures, alluding to the different origins of immigrant groups. Those coolers and the marigolds seem to resemble ofrendas, an altar to memorialize passed loved ones in Mexican culture.<\/p>\n

An onlooker named Layla said the artwork is an \u201camazing\u201d way to \u201cpay homage to the working class.\u201d<\/p>\n

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On the back, there is a painting of a mother breastfeeding a child, although it seems many onlookers aren\u2019t walking around to the rear of the display.<\/p>\n

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While some people stopped to read the piece\u2019s description and take a photo on Thursday, most passersby sped past the installation. As a result, many people likely missed the smaller details not mentioned in the piece\u2019s description that challenge the Trump administration\u2019s immigration policies.<\/p>\n

The coolers marking the perimeter of the piece are marked with a faux official-looking sign reading \u201cU.S. Inhumane and Cruelty Enforcement,\u201d which would be abbreviated to ICE.<\/p>\n

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Some coolers at the front have discs of the U.S. seal in the cupholder. However, the seal\u2019s inscription reads \u201cU.S. Department of Stolen Land Security,\u201d with ICE written on the eagle\u2019s shield.<\/p>\n

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This comes after the Trump Administration hinted at taking control of South Station<\/a>, across the street from the artwork, and ICE presence increased<\/a> following Mayor Michelle Wu\u2019s noncompliance with Homeland Security demands regarding cooperation with the agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cElevar La Cultura\u201d is on display in Boston until December, and then the piece will \u201cmove to sanctuary cities across the nation,\u201d according to Marka27\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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