Iván Montaña
Expressions of experiential moments rather than representations of factual realities, the Contemporary Spanish artist Iván Montaña manifests memories, encounters, feelings and sensations in his vibrant conceptual paintings. Juxtaposing figures, words, facts and interactions, each object, each being and each word within his compositions has a soul. By adding elements one on top of the other, without apparent logic, Montaña creates a cohesive whole, with each layer of detail emerging organically during the act of creation.
Hailing from Tarragona in Spain, Montaña undertook his artistic training at the Elisava Barcelona Higher School of Design and Engineering, with the principles of the Bauhaus movement playing a significant role in his education. His reductionist approach to the construction of images draws from the Bauhaus school of thought, in particular Mies Van der Rohe’s celebrated concept of “less is more”. Barcelona’s museums, together with those great Mediterranean artists Tàpies, Miró and Picasso, also greatly influence his practice.
Montaña’s painting style has evolved through the years, beginning with an expressive figurative stage, followed by a period of abstract painting. The influence of children’s literature, particularly authors such as Roald Dahl and Michael Ende, is clearly visible in his work. Removing the complex grammar of adulthood, the simple, abbreviated statements that appear in his paintings are messages to be decoded by the viewer.
A tireless creator, since 1998, Montaña has participated in some 80 solo and group exhibitions. His work has travelled to New York, Paris, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Gothenburg, Lisbon, Miami and Monaco, among other cities, and included in nine international art fairs. His work is also held in public and private collections worldwide.
Iván Montaña received his training at the Superior School of Design and Engineering of Barcelona (ELISAVA). That training, heavily based on the pedagogical concepts of the BAUHAUS, endowed him with a synthetic and reductionist capacity in the construction of images. Mies Van der Rohe's celebrated concept of "less is more" was well studied by Iván Montaña. On the other hand, the museums of Barcelona, those great Mediterranean artists who were Tapies, Miró, and Picasso, influenced Iván's creative world significantly.
Exhibitions
