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Traversing the realms of Pop and conceptual art, Montoya’s use of repeated images and the materials of Capitalism is strongly influenced by the works of Andy Warhol, while his works featuring ambiguous words and phrases are reminiscent of Pop artists such as Ed Ruscha and Robert Indiana. Montoya builds on an artistic concept pioneered by Warhol, directly inspired by the Pop artist’s sentiment that: ‘I like money on the wall. Say you were going to buy a $200,000 painting. I think you should take that money, tie it up, and hang it on the wall.’ Warhol’s depictions of money include his Dollar Sign series (1981) which injects monetary symbols with the electric colours of Pop art and his repeated images of banknotes in 200 One Dollar Bills (1962). Pushing this idea of repeated images even further, Montoya employs one of the most ubiquitous printed materials in modern society: the paper banknote.

By removing currency from circulation and displaying it on the wall, he raises questions of intrinsic and commercial value.

In a similar manner to Warhol’s repetition of images to mirror the excesses of Capitalism, Montoya’s works are a wry commentary on consumerism and the commodification of art. Other prominent artists have explored monetary themes in their work: in 2004, Banksy created artworks centred around currency in his Di-Faced Tenners – fake £10 banknotes featuring Princess Diana.

However, in his unique use of real money as a medium, Montoya draws attention to the inherent contradictions in an increasingly globalised and Capitalist economy. The use of currency from a variety of countries in his art emphasises its cross-cultural nature, being fundamental to modern society. As the artist notes: ‘I use currency from supposedly opposite economic systems so that we can look at them in relation to each other.’ An example of this is his triptych SOS (I), which pairs American banknotes featuring George Washington with the face of Chairman Mao on the Chinese yuan. The serial repetition of world leaders also echoes Warhol’s iconic Mao portraits. For Montoya, paper currency can be a mode of political propaganda and his Colombian origins inform many of the themes in his work, exposing corruption and global networks of power.

Overlaying the universally recognisable symbol of a banknote with the slogans of mass media and commercialisation – clichés such as, ‘you bet’, ‘go west’ and ‘so be it’ as well as single-word phrases such as ‘lucky’ and ‘more’ – leave these works open to the viewer’s interpretation. The apparent levity of the paper currency works contrast with the complex themes they interrogate: Montoya explains that he uses subtle humour and irony as a vehicle to explore serious subjects. We are all active participants in the financial system, entangled in its necessity – yet through Montoya’s use of found objects and experimental materials such as paper currency and chocolate to create works of art, we are afforded a moment of objectivity.

As we move further towards a cashless society, these works become even more poignant, as snapshots of a particular moment in economic and political history. Montoya describes his work, as ‘a type of transgression’; transforming the symbolic value of money into a tangible spectacle to challenge our perception of value.

 

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