Ivan 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.