Jose Luis Montes

Artist Statement

I have spent my whole life in small towns, far from big cities. This has allowed me to observe nature up close, to see its cycles, its constant changes. Thanks to this, I've been able to understand that everything is constantly evolving, that nothing remains static, that growth is a natural process to which we are all subject, and that this growth, this transformation, is not only physical but also mental and spiritual, and that in some way it's something we all need: to grow, to learn, to transform.
And, basically, that constitutes the core of my work: movement and nature, which is what connects us all: change, evolution, and the environment in which we develop.
On a symbolic level, there is also an element of spiritual quest, of trying to connect with the most mystical part of existence, which I normally represent with elements that descend from above—they can be ropes or drops of water—which I use to symbolically connect heaven with earth, to connect the spiritual with the earthly.

I have not had the classic formal education, at age 12 I started studying on my own, visiting libraries and reading everything I could find, then I was 4 years with Master Eduardo Villanueva, in the study who had in the Barrio del Artista, in Puebla, (1989 to 1993) also did a diploma in modern techniques with Carlos Luna, in 1993. As the painter's craft never quite comes to dominate today I continue my self-taught through books and videos

2025 Por el Día Mundial de la Poesía, Teatro Ciudad Sagrada, San Pedro Cholula, Puebla, México.

Group exhibition Por amor a Puebla in Senate of Mexican Republic
Solo exhibition "Entorno natural, principio femenino", El Alacrán Galería - Taller, San Andrés Cholula, Puebla
Group exhibition "Alas Verdes Volando en Libertad" This exhibition for the benefit of the Alas Verdes foundation to raise funds for the preservation of the green macaw in Mexico will be until the end of July at the Museum of Evolution in Puebla (Mx) and later it will visit San Luis Potosí and Tulum, also in Mexico. Jun/Ago 2022
Group exhibition “Despojando la normalidad” Sala Marte, CDMX, Sept 2021
Solo exhibition Centro Seis, Tequisquiapan, Qro, Dec 2019
Group exhibition Galería Rulfo, Tequisquiapan, Qro, May 2019
Solo exhibition Plaza Pedregal, Tequisquiapan, Qro, Jan 2019
Solo exhibition La Revoltosa, Gijón, May 2018
Solo exhibition en Casa de Cultura de Mieres, Asturias, 2017
Participation in Fig Bilbao_16 with Galería Espai d’Art 32, Bilbao, Esp, Nov 2016
Group exhibition en Galería Eka & Moor, Madrid, 2016
Participation in the Caribbean Festival, Quintana Roo, year 2013
2nd place in the La Tortuga contest, Xcaret, year 2007
Sea Turtle Festival, Tulum ( 20...