Alexis Duque
LOS DUEÑOS DE NADA

Los Dueños de Nada (The Owners of Nothing) is a solo exhibition of Alexis Duque’s new paintings and works on paper, with site-specific drawings on the gallery walls. Inspired by Eduardo Galeano’s poem Los Nadies (The Nobodies), the exhibition title sets the tone for a topical exploration of lives often pushed to the periphery and overlooked by society.

Duque, a Colombian artist based in New York City, is known for his detailed and surrealistic architectural artwork. In his new series, Duque shifts to figurative representation, focusing on lives impacted by migration, social inequality, and displacement. Informed by his upbringing in Medellín during a time of great turmoil and his relocation to the U.S., his work captures the resilience and humanity of those forced to the fringes of society.

The gallery walls become part of Duque’s narrative, as his gold ink drawings deftly weave together cityscapes, neighborhoods, paths, and waterways. These drawings extend the stories of his subjects and situate them in an imaginary yet deeply resonant environment. In this way, his work offers subtle commentary on the social, political, and economic forces that shape their lives.

Despite the hardships, the people depicted in Duque’s work maintain their dignity, joy, and resolve. Los Dueños de Nada is a powerful tribute to the strength and enduring spirit of those who, though often neglected, possess stories and dreams that refuse to be diminished.

The exhibition’s title is a nod to “Los Nadies” (“The Nobodies”), a poem by Uruguayan historian and novelist Eduardo Galeano decrying the invisibility cast upon the millions of dispossessed people around the world.