An artist ramps up his striking mural at Northeastern’s Boston campus

Houston-based artist Daniel Anguilu extends his mural on the ramp leading up to the Columbus Parking Garage at Northeastern University on August 15, 2018. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Street artist Daniel Anguilu returned to Northeastern’s Boston campus this week to put some new touches on his visually striking mural on the pedestrian bridge and retaining wall facing the Curry Student Center.

On Wednesday afternoon, Anguilu was adding a rotating pattern of colored stripes along the ramp in what he called an effort to make his original artwork more accessible. He said the goal was for the art to be more accessible to “people on wheels,” whether that be a wheelchair, a skateboard, or a bicycle.

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

“To really enjoy the original mural, you have to walk around it to see it from all angles,” said Anguilu, a Houston resident who has painted murals in the United States, Mexico, Peru, and Italy. “But now, you have to move in it. It’s about the experience of moving through this piece on wheels.”

The mural bursts with vibrant shades of blue, green, and purple. Anguilu said the work was inspired by the novel One Hun­dred Years of Soli­tude, by the renowned Colom­bian author Gabriel García Márquez.

The artwork is part of President Joseph E. Aoun’s Public Art Initiative, which provides a platform for artists to brighten the campus with their creativity.

Parisian graffiti artist Greg Astro recently painted two murals on top of Punter’s Pub, a building on Huntington Avenue that overlooks Boston’s Avenue of the Arts. In May, local artist Silvia López Chavez painted a 5,000-square-foot mural on the MBTA wall outside Ruggles Station. The focal point is a pair of hands holding a paper crane, a reference to the ancient Japanese legend promising eternal happiness to anyone who folds 1,000 such origami models.

The culture of graffiti is about how we use our materials to create an experience. Our murals are all connected, not through the content, but through our connection with our tools,” said Anguilu, referring to artists Astro and Miles “El Mac” MacGregor, with whom he has previously worked. El Mac painted the mural overlooking Centennial Common of the Roman muse that represents the fusion of art and science.

Once Anguilu’s mural is completed this weekend, the artist said he hopes people will pass through the new addition on wheels to get the full experience.

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

“I’ve been thinking a lot about who gets to enjoy my work and how I want it to cater to everyone,” said Anguilu. “It’s fun and challenging to try and put yourself in someone else’s shoes to create art that everyone can enjoy.”