PLAYGROUND DETROIT presents Semillas, on view October 22–November 19, 2022, a solo exhibition by Ivan Montoya. In his first solo exhibition with the gallery, the artist presents traditions and surreal anecdotes of his Mexican culture through illustrative paintings.
In Semillas, the Spanish word for “seeds,” the paintings explore the dynamics between first and second-generation immigrants and their ancestors. The title refers both to the children of immigrants and the inherited or observed values passed onto their descendants as they build their lives on new soil.
Through the transition of immigration, families are forced to reapproach their surroundings and social dynamics. In doing so, relationships between members of a family are tested through growing pains and inherent change. Montoya’s paintings present moments in the cultivation of a promising future, the irrigation of mentalities and values, and the harvesting of possibilities.
My cultural identity is the core of what I am trying to understand and make peace with. I’ve grown up in two worlds and I don’t always feel like I belong to one or the other too firmly. So to me, understanding how I’ve been molded by both is super important to how I communicate and create, especially because of how many other people feel like I do.” – Ivan Montoya
Drawing from his experience as a first-generation immigrant, Montoya uses bold color, dynamic lighting, and motifs from the natural world and Mesoamerican folklore. His paintings express the Mexican diaspora through allegorical figures, exploring the intersection of cultural heritage and the external pressures of assimilation, and the resulting formation of identity within this in-between space.
Why do we choose to let go of certain cultural traits but hold onto others? What stories do we tell ourselves to stay connected to a world that we no longer belong to?” – Ivan Montoya
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ivan Montoya earned his Bachelor of Fine Art from the College for Creative Studies in 2017 and was awarded the Imre J. Molnar Artistic Achievement Award, appointing him as merit-based valedictorian. He is a recipient of the 2022 Emerging Artist Fellowship supported by the Knight Foundation.
Following graduation, he attended the Illustration Academy in Kansas City, MO. Since then, Ivan has worked as a painter and muralist, partnering with clients including Coca-Cola, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Rocket Central, Mckinsey & Co, 1x Run, and City of Detroit. Ivan has been featured by Spectrum, 3×3 Mag and The Society of Illustrators, and has work in the Guillermo Del Toro Bleak House Collection.
