The MTN Virtual Residency comes to an end

Time’s up for the first ever MTN Virtual Residency and the now begins the task of compiling the final works, analyzing and drawing conclusions, which all be examined in a climactic video that sums up this experience. 

After the summer, “back-to-school” seems to be the first stepping stone of this new normal that society has adapted to — living in the balance between controlled contagion and social contact that doesn’t totally halt development. The end of something is the beginning of something else and vice versa, that is why the MTN Virtual Residency must also come to an end, as if it were an emotional preparation for the launch of this new normal. 

As for our artists, we’ve borne witness to the evolution of their works, reaffirming how productive this initiative has been for each of their creative development.

On the one hand, Motomichi Nakamura’s installations went from being directly linked to his confinement at home, to taking to the streets, with ground elements of the installation passing up to elevated ones. This evolution suggests a transformation of Motomichi's monsters, perhaps marked by the emotional journey from quarantine to the new reality. 

Although the evolution we have seen in Nicolas Romero Ever's pieces isn’t as drastic, we’re able to define a certain turning point. While his early compositions included more uniform objects explicitly linked to home life, his later works feature iconographic elements that bring a collage aesthetic to his still lifes. We can also see that his naturalistic technique has been further refined — if that was even possible — reproducing incredibly complex textures with total fidelity. 

Apart from all this, perhaps one of the most interesting things that this first edition of the MTN Virtual Residency has provided us with is this broad vision that allowed us to share the processes and works of two immensely different artistic formats, those of Motomichi Nakamura and Nicolas Romero Ever. A matter that says a lot about the cultural vision at Montana Colors, and the artistic interest that we seek to project, far beyond the simple advertising of our products.