Boyan Montero (1992, living and working between Amsterdam and Sofia, they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist rooted in drawing. Born in Sofia to a Bulgarian mother and a Mexican father, they spent half of their childhood in China. Drawing inspiration from life experiences and the complexities of human nature, Boyan channels their inner child to access a more intuitive and instinctual mode of creation.

Their practice uses fiction to explore human experience, spark imagination and creativity, reflect on and critique culture, and provide emotional catharsis. It delves into paradoxical themes such as chaos and order, life and death. Embracing complexity and contradiction as inherent qualities of human existence, Montero works across various media, including collage, text, music, photography, and digital media, transforming their drawings into installations and performances. Their creations often incorporate text and involve collaboration with others.

Education

• 2019–22MA in Fine Arts, Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2016–19BA in Fine Arts, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2017Exchange in Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts, New York City, United States
• 2011–15BA in Book and Printed Graphics, National Academy of Fine Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2011–15BEd in Theory and Practice of Art Education, National Academy of Fine Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2012Erasmus in Book and Printed Graphics, École Estienne, Paris, France
• 2007–11Graphic Arts, National School of Fine Arts Iliya Petrov, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2010Chinese Language and Culture, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China

Residencies

• 2024The Bookstore Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018M4gastatelier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2017Manifesto, Texel, The Netherlands
• 2011Родопи 2011 (Rhodope 2011), Stoykite, Bulgaria
• 2009Бялата къща (The White House), Kovachevitsa, Bulgaria

Solo exhibitions

• 2024Family Portraits, Bulteh 2000 Ltd. Office and Exhibition Space, Aguascalientes, Mexico
• 2024Van Gogh’s Sunflowers Devouring Each Other, Pleinkamer, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2024Make Me Feel Useful and Loved, De Vishal, Haarlem, The Netherlands
• 2023Valley Of Desire, Open Studio, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2020I Don’t Know Who You Are But I Miss You, Mertens Frames Project Space by Plan B, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2012Великденска манджа (Easter Stew), Administrative Court of Sofia and National Academy of Fine Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2008Игри (Games), Debut Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria

Performances

• 2024My Parents Are Both Good and Bad, Rijksmuseum Passage, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2023Harry Potter, Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2022Venom, Thomaskerk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2019Hi Stranger, NEVERNEVERLAND, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2019You Got To Burn To Shine, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• 2019Holy Disorders, Domkerk, Utrecht, The Netherlands
• 2018A Puppet Opera, Part 2, Korzo Theatre, The Hague, The Netherlands
• 2018A Puppet Opera, Part 1, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018Scripted Party, M4gastatelier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018Balcony Scene, The Warehouse, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018Pillow Talk, The Warehouse, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2017Clones, Conservatory of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2017Free Apples, Open Studio, School of Visual Arts, New York City, United States

Group exhibitions

• 2024CHAOS + o r d e - n i n g, De Vishal, Haarlem, The Netherlands
• 2024With Love Nieuw-West, DAY Collective, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2023Living Room, Marwan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2022Sandberg Institute Graduation Show, diez gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2022Small Thing, NEVERNEVERLAND, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2021The Resident Broadcast, W139, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2020I Really Wanna Be With You, Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2020Dust is Us, NEVERNEVERLAND, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2019Pleinkamer Opening, The Bookstore Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2019The Common Inn, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• 2019Gerrit Rietveld Academie Graduation Show, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2019Buzzcut, M4gastatelier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018Tight-Lipped and Tongue-Tied, Museum Perron Oost, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018Uncut, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018Titanic, The Warehouse, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018Back and Forth, Rietveld Pavilion, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2017Amazon Prime House, Open Studio, School of Visual Arts, New York City, United States
• 2017Re Union, Open Studio, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2011Предсказания (Predictions), Gallery Nikolay Rainov and Embassy of Serbia, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 20114th National Youth Exhibition Collage, Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and National Art School Tsanko Lavrenov, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
• 2009Книгоразделители (Bookmarks), Helikon Bookstore, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2009Painting section of the National Youth Exhibition for Fine and Applied Arts, Gallery Shipka 6 of the Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA), Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2009Цветовете на Бяла (The Colors of Byala), Town Square, Byala, Bulgaria
• 2008Книгоразделители (Bookmarks), Tocka Cultural Center, Skopje, North Macedonia
• 200857th Annual Painting Exhibition, Sredets Gallery, Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 20082nd National Youth Exhibition Collage, Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and National Art School Tsanko Lavrenov, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
• 2007Имената на бъдещето (Names of the Future), National Palace of Culture (NDK), Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2007Колаж (Collage), Debut Gallery and Direkta Company, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2007В гората на френските приказки (In the Forest of the French Fairy Tales), French Cultural Institute, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2006Ковачевица (Kovachevitsa), Debut Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2005Видях нещастието със очите си (I Saw Misfortune With My Eyes), Russian Cultural and Information Centre, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2005Български народни поговорки (Bulgarian Folk Proverbs), Earth and Man National Museum, Sofia, Bulgaria

Publications

• 2022A Muscular Little Red Riding Hood Collecting Heavy Stones, Artistic Research, Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2019Only The Sun Comes Up For Free, Artistic Research, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2017Wasteland, Artist’s Book, New York City, United States
• 2016Traces, Artist’s Book, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2015Сапунени мехури (Soap Bubbles), Illustrated adaptation of Svetoslav Minkov’s fairytale, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2013The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Illustrated adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale, Extrapool, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
• 2012Le Clown (The Clown), Artist’s Book, Paris, France
• 2011Йероглифът на съня (The Character Of The Dream), Artist’s Book, Sofia, Bulgaria

Grants and Awards

• 2024Voucher Development, Mondriaan Fund for Visual Arts and Cultural Heritage, The Netherlands
• 2024Artist Start Grant, Mondriaan Fund for Visual Arts and Cultural Heritage, The Netherlands
• 2010Grand Prize for Creative Achievement, 4th National Youth Exhibition Collage, Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and National Arts School Tsanko Lavrenov, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
• 2009First Place in the Painting Section, National Youth Exhibition for Fine Arts, Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2001–08Various Awards for Painting, Drawing, and Collage, China and Bulgaria

Community Activities

• 2024–nowMember of De Vishal, Haarlem, The Netherlands
• 2019–22Community Development Volunteer Arts and Culture, The Bookstore Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2016–21Member of the MR (Participation Council), Gerrit Rietveld Academie and Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Teaching, Workshops and Reading Groups

• 2024–nowGuest Teacher, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2024Let’s Play With Color, drawing workshop facilitator, The Bookstore Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2022Foul Play, reading group led by Aidan Wall, Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2021–22Writing From and About and Around the Self, workshop led by Maria Barnas, Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018Juicing Your Hole, vocal workshop led by Geo Wyeth, TENT, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018In Touch, reading group led by Amelia Groom, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018–22Unsettling Rietveld/Sandberg, various workshops organized by Judith Leysner and Clare Butcher, Gerrit Rietveld Academie and Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2008–09Truth Behind Masks, acting course led by Professor Anastasia Savinova, National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts Krastyo Sarafov, Sofia, Bulgaria

Freelance

• 2024Artist Assistant, Jay Tan, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• 2023Moderator, terra(t)rium, M4gastatelier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2023Album Cover, Harp Piece by Boris Bezemer and performed by Michela Amici
• 2022Presenter, Sandberg Institute Opening Academic Year 2022–2023, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 2018Book Cover, Totalitarian Experience and Knowledge Production: Sociology in Central and Eastern Europe by Svetla Koleva, Brill Publishers, Leiden/Boston, The Netherlands/United States
• 2017Book Cover, Боян Магесника. Изследване на литературния мит (Boyan The Magician: A Study of the Literary Myth) by Svetlana Stoycheva, Iztok-Zapad Publishing House, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2017Performer for David Everitt Howe, Second Sundays, Pioneer Works, New York City, United States
• 2016–17Artist Assistant, Margriet Smulders, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
• 2015Book Cover, Малката Книга (The Small Book) by Georgi Merdzhanov, Nest Press, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2014Artist Assistant, Boryana Varbanov, Paris, France
• 2013Book Cover, Афенти. Историите на азиатския хитрец (Afenti: Stories of the Asian Trickster) edited by Svetlana Stoycheva and translated by Chen Ying, SONM Publishers, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2012Book Cover, Социологията в България през погледа на поколенията. Интервюта с български социолози (Sociology in Bulgaria Through the Eyes of the Generations: Interviews With Bulgarian Sociologists) edited by Svetla Koleva, Diana Nenkova, Simona Treneva, Pensoft Publishers, Sofia, Bulgaria

Publicity

• 2024Featured in Boring. A New Music, Art and Theatre Festival, Haarlem, boringfestival.nl
• 2023Featured in terra(t)rium, M4gastatelier, Amsterdam, terra-t-rium.com
• 2022Kunst kijken in De Thomas (View Art in De Thomas), article by Saskia van Wees, online newspaper Amsterdam-Zuid, www.wijkkrantzuid.nl
• 2022Sandberg Institute Graduation 2022, article by Branko Popovic, brankopopovic.blogspot.com
• 2022The Resident Broadcast, interview by Maria Barnas, W139, w139.nl
• 2019Gaudeamus Saturday Afternoon, interview by Luke Deane, Stranded FM, www.stranded.fm
• 2019Een perspectiefwisseling met een knauw (A Change in Perspective With a Twist), article by Ans Vianen, www.ansans.nl
• 2019Om een veelvoudige wereld te maken heb je lichtheid nodig (To Create a Multiple World You Need Lightness), article by Alina Lupu, Tubelight, www.tubelight.nl
• 2016Featured in Литературен Вестник (Literary Newspaper), April issue, litvestnik.wordpress.com
• 2012Гледайки навътре, виждайки навън (Looking Inward, Seeing Outward), interview by Yovka Yovcheva, Darik News www.dariknews.bg
• 2008Боян Монтеро (Boyan Montero), artist profile by Irena Georgieva, One Week in Sofia, December issue, Bulgaria
• 2008Чрез рисуване се трансформирам (Through Drawing I Transform Myself), interview by Malina Tomova, Литературен Вестник (Literary Newspaper), October issue, Bulgaria
• 2008Дебютът на един млад Монтеро (The Debut of One Young Montero), article by Diana Stoeva, Вестник Култура (Culture Newspaper), October issue, Bulgaria
• 2007Четенето е празник (Reading Is a Celebration), interview by Malina Tomova, Литературен Вестник (Literary Newspaper), November issue, Bulgaria