ARTIST STATEMENT

Spanish Artist, Ivan Montaña, was born into a diverse family where culture and art, in all forms but particularly, literature, music, sculpture, painting, and fashion, have always been celebrated.

By the age of twenty-one, after studied at Elisava Barcelona School of Design & Engineering, Montaña created his first performance, ‘Conformist without Reflection’, and held his first solo exhibition.

Montana describes his art as being entirely mental; a pure reflection of thought, an emotional, pre-verbal, deep, sensual experience, which goes beyond the truth, a leap into the void that is loaded with complex discoveries and encounters.  Guided by the spontaneity of gesture, Montana uses brushstrokes, the path of the strokes, marked cardboard, organic forms, stains and scratches to create his artworks and narrate a dialogue with memory.

A word from the artist: “Adults are rude children. I believe that it is very necessary to learn, to grow but to also follow your dreams and fly – or at least to try to do so.”

According to Douglas Sheer (New York Art Critic), “Montana carries on both a Catalan painting tradition, made most famous by Dali, Miro and more recently, into his time, by Antonio Tapies. In so doing he channels that Iberian boldness and rustic palette through specifically abEx methods and sensibility that he has embraced. He emotes a powerful brashness.”

The artist has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in France, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Sweden. He was a finalist in the Enate Scholarship for 2021 – 2022 located in Bodegas Enate, Spain and an award winner in the XII Antzezaleak Painting Contest, Collective of Artists of Getxo also in Spain.

EDUCATION

ELISAVA / Higher School of Design and Engineering of Barcelona
1999 UPF (Pompeu Fabra University) Graphic Design
1993 EADT / Tarragona School of Art and Design, Painting, Engraving & Sculpture
1992 Painting Workshop Pere Calderó Ripoll. Reus, Drawing and Painting

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022 Fundación [H]ARTE. by Gallery Red, Palma Planas Quirón Salud Palma, España.
2022 Granada Gallery. Good Times, Madrid, España.
​2022 Gallery Red. Private Affairs, Mallorca, España.
2020 Museo Fernando García Ponce / Fundación Cultural Macay / Mérida. Yucatán. MEXICO
2018 Galerie Fries / My Way / Kaarst / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2017 Centre D’Art S’Escorxador / Welcome To My Jungle / Marratxí. Mallorca. SPAIN
2016 H.Seeker Mallorca / Yeah! / Calvià. Mallorca. SPAIN
2016 HMH Art Gallery / Daily / Port D’ Andratx / Mallorca. SPAIN
2015 H.Seeker Mallorca / Play! Shout! Shake! / Calvià. Mallorca. SPAIN
2015 Porter Mini Gallery / Cervecería / Life Player / Palma De Mallorca. SPAIN
2015 Galerie Fries / Daily / Kaarst / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2014 Pep Escobar Área / Day Tripper / Santa María. Mallorca. SPAIN
2014 Vírgula Music Shop / Face To Face. Ribadeo. Galicia. SPAIN
2012 Galerie Fries / Circumstance / Kaarst / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2012 Elton Basur Art Gallery / Individual / Urban Face / Gothemburg. SWEDEN
2011 On Gallery / Nit De L’art’11/ Box Portraits. Palma. SPAIN
2010 Galerie Fries / Face To Face / Kaarst / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2009 Galería Fondamenta. Palma De Mallorca. SPAIN
2009 Galerie Art Present / Iván Montaña París. FRANCE
2008 Galería Berlín / Guateque Paris / Palma De Mallorca. SPAIN
2008 Galerie Fries / Kaarst / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2008 Hada Verde Gallery / Borrachera Indiscutible / Palma Mallorca. SPAIN
2008 Galería Montcada / Dancing / Barcelona. SPAIN
2007 CCM ( Centro Cultural La Misericordia) / Fragile” Palma. SPAIN
2006 Galería Marearte / Individual “Urban” Palma De Mallorca. SPAIN
2005 Còsmic Gallery / Individual “Urban Wind” Palma De Mallorca. SPAIN
2001 Norbaltic Gallery & Rest. Individual “Comic Pop”. Barcelona. SPAIN
1999 Gavà Farm Art. “The Dream Of Reason” Individual. Barcelona. SPAIN
1999 Figaro Restaurant / Pinturas De Iván Montaña. Barcelona. SPAIN
1998 La Santa Gallery / El Sol Español /Barcelona. SPAIN

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024 St Hilda Art Festival, St Hilda’s School, Gold Coast QLD
2023 Cano Studio, La Embajada. Madrid, España.
2022 Ainori Gallery. Lisboa, Portugal
2022 19 Karen Gallery. Mermaid Beach QLD, Australia.
2022 Gallery Red. Mallorca, SPAIN.
2022 Granada Gallery. Doodling The Space. Madrid, SPAIN.
2021 LI Luarca International Art Contest, Government of the Principality of Asturias. Luarca, SPAIN
2021 Getxoko Artisten Taldea / XII Antzezaleak Painting Contest / Getxo. Basque Country, SPAIN
2020 Art and Development Factory / Happy Easter for me / Madrid, SPAIN
2020 International Museum of Electrography / “Postal Art in the collections and archives of the MIDE, Cuenca, SPAIN
2020 Conde Duque Cultural Center / 3R Art 2020 Exhibition / Fashion Art Institute / Madrid. SPAIN
2020 Max Moreau Museum / Faculty of Fine Arts Granada – UGR / EXIT. International Exhibition of Postal Art / Granada. SPAIN
2019 Agora Gallery / White Space Chelsea / New York. US
2019 Galerie Fries / Iván Montaña / Oscar Bento / Simón Vázquez / Miguel Oñate / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2019 Montjuic Cultural Center / Matilde Tamayo Foundation / Barcelona. SPAIN
2019 Haimney Gallery Barcelona / Perpetuum / Barcelona. SPAIN
2019 Galerie Fries / 15 Jhare Galerie In Zons / Zons / Dormagen. GERMANY
2019 Municipal Hall El Bailío XXXI National Painting Contest. Lora del Rio / Seville. SPAIN
2019 Prado Goyart Gallery / International Pop Stram Award. Matilde Tamayo Foundation /. Madrid. SPAIN
2019 Nauart Gallery / International Pop Stram Award. Matilde Tamayo Foundation /. Barcelona. SPAIN
2019 L’Atelier de Pilar Güell / International Pop Stram Award. Matilde Tamayo Foundation / Barcelona. SPAIN
2018 Fifth Ibero-American Miniature Art Show. Centennial Museum, Nuevo Leon / MEXICO
2018 HMH Art Gallery / Collective / Port D’andratx / Mallorca. SPAIN
2018 XXXI Sant Marçal Painting Contest 2018 / Mallorca. SPAIN
2017 Galerie Fries / Zeichnungen / Kaarst / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2017 Ahoy! Gallery / Spring Collective / Palma De Mallorca. SPAIN
2017 Galerie Fries / 20 Jahren Die Spanische Kunst / Kaarst .GERMANY
2017 HMH Art Gallery / Pop Art / Port D’andratx / Mallorca. SPAIN
2016 Galerie Fries / Abellan & Montana / Kaarst / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2015 Fries Gallery / Kaarst / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2014 Calvià City Hall Exhibition Hall / Propostres Calvià. SPAIN
2012 Galerie Fries / 15 Jahre Der Spanischen Kunst / Kaarst / Düsseldorf. GERMANY
2012 Amaga Gallery / Xmas Collective. Aviles. Asturias. SPAIN
2011 Fries Gallery. Box Portraits / Zons / Dormagen. GERMANY
2011 Elton Basur Art Gallery / Gothenburg. SWEDEN
2011 Amaga Gallery/ White Night. Aviles. Asturias. SPAIN
2010 Galerie Fries / Collective / Zons / Dormagen. GERMANY
2009 Montcada Gallery / I Love Barcelona / Barcelona. SPAIN
2009 Galerie Fries/ Xmas / Zons / Dormagen. GERMANY
2009 Berlin Gallery / Nit De L’art’09 / Palma De Mallorca. SPAIN
2008 Galerie Fries / Dormagen / Zons. GERMANY
2008 Montcada Gallery / 30 Heroes / Barcelona. SPAIN
2008 Galerie Art Present / Le Groupe Des Quatre / Paris. FRANCE
2008 Marearte Gallery / King Kamehameha Club / Collective / Mallorca. SPAIN
2008 Montcada Gallery / Collective “Dancing2” Barcelona. SPAIN
2007 Marearte Gallery / Urban Jungle “Nit De L’art ‘07 Palma De Mallorca. SPAIN
2004 House of Culture of Barrainkua / Carnival Posters Exhibition – Aratusteak / Bilbao City Council / Bilbao. SPAIN
2000 La Santa Gallery / Erotica /. Barcelona. SPAIN
1999 Jorge Alcolea Gallery / American Prints /16th Art Supermarket. Barcelona. SPAIN
1999 The Holy Gallery / Tauromakia /. Barcelona. SPAIN
1998 Jorge Alcolea Gallery / American Prints / 15th Art Supermarket. Barcelona. SPAIN

AWARDS & COMPETITIONS

2022 Finalist / Enate Scholarship 2021 – 2022, Bodegas Enate, Huesca, SPAIN.
2021 Awarded / XII Antzezaleak Painting Contest, Collective of Artists of Getxo. Getxo – Bilbao, SPAIN
2021 Finalist / LI International Art Contest of Luarca, Government of the Principality of Asturias. Luarca, SPAIN
2020 Selected / 3R ART 2020, Fashion Art Institute, Madrid. SPAIN
2020 Awarded / The Latin American Contemporary Fine Art Competition, 2019 Agora Gallery / New York. US
2020 Selected / Painting Award, FundacIó Vila-Casas, Barcelona, SPAIN
2020 Selected / XXXI Miguel González Sandoval National Painting Contest 2019, Lora del Río, Seville, SPAIN
2019 Selected / Pop Stram Painting Award / Matilde Tamayo Foundation / Barcelona, SPAIN
2018 Awarded / Fifth Ibero-American Miniature Art Show. El Centenario Museum, 2018Monterrey, Nuevo León. MEXICO
2018 Selected / XXXI Sant Marçal Painting Contest 2018, Center D’Art S’Escorxador Marratxí. Majorca. SPAIN
2018 Selected / Sant Marçal International Painting Contest 2015, Marratxí Culture / Mallorca. SPAIN

FAIRS

2019 IncArt, XIII Edition / Inca Contemporary Art Festival, Mallorca, SPAIN
2018 IncArt, XII Edition / Inca Contemporary Art Festival, Mallorca, SPAIN
2016 Art Monaco. Artifact Gallery / Espace Fonteveille / Monaco.
2016 Artexpo New York. Artifact Gallery / New York. US
2015 Architectural Digest Home Design Show / Artifact Gallery / New York. US
2014 Spectrum Miami Art Show / Artifact Gallery / Miami / Florida. US
2011 Barcelona International Art Show / Contemporary Art & Photo. BCN. SPAIN
2011 Oslo Art Fair / Elton Basur Art Gallery / Norgesvaremesse /, Lillestrom. Norway
2009 Art Madrid / Berlin Gallery / Madrid. SPAIN

PERFORMANCES

In 1996 he created his first artistic action “Conformist without Reflection” / an audio-sensory action based on the book by sociologist Gilles Lipovetsky, The Age of Emptiness, which manifests the new state of culture characterized by the exhaustion and collapse of what was avant-garde during the last century.

Iván Montaña is the creator of “Flamenco Painting Performance” (The inspiration and creativity of painting through pure flamenco) and “Mikrópera Painting” (Contemporary opera, electric guitar and painting), which have been presented in various theaters and Cultural centers of the Balearic Islands, Madrid, Guadalajara and GERMANY.
Berlin Gallery, Palma, Balearic Islands
Theater of LLosseta, Balearic Islands
Casal de Cultura Can Gelabert, Binissalem, Balearic Islands
Sa Taronja Cultural Center, Andratx, Balearic Islands
Plaça Major in Palma, Balearic Islands
Galerie Fries, Kaarst, Düsseldorf
Theater of 3 Cantos, Madrid.
Alovera Theater, Guadalajara.
Count Duke Theater, Madrid

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Carmen & Luis Bassat Foundation.
Bassat Contemporary Art Collection
Nau Gaudi. Mataro, Barcelona. SPAIN
Centennial Museum. Permanent Collection
Cultural heritage. Saint Peter Garza. New Lion. MEXICO
Marratxí Town Hall. Col lecció Ajuntament
Marratxi. (Balearic Islands). SPAIN
Municipality of Lora del Río. Collection
Cultural Heritage / Lora del Río / Seville. SPAIN
Matilde Tamayo Foundation. Collection
Artistic background. Barcelona. SPAIN
MEASURE. International Museum of Electrography.
Collection Center for Innovation in Art and New Technologies
Antonio Saura Building – Cuenca University Campus, SPAIN