Pedro Montilla

Pedro Montilla (Bogotá, 1997) (he/him) is a Colombian artist whose practice unfolds through painting as a way to understand the experience of being alive and surrounded by life. His work emerges from the understanding of painting as a mystical being where science and magic converge. He paints primarily on fique fabric—a fiber cultivated, dried, and woven in the Colombian Andes, traditionally used to transport coffee and harvests. This material ties his work to his Andean heritage while embodying dislocation, transit, and memory. On it, he constructs hybrid objects that hover between painting and tapestry, reflecting interior landscapes, lived experience, and layered temporalities.

Montilla holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and a BFA from Universidad de los Andes. He has exhibited in solo and group shows at Polícroma Galería in Medellín, Chili Art Projects in London, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Galería El Museo, SGR Galería, EXPO Chicago, and multiple editions of ARTBO. He has received awards such as the New Artist Society and the Second Year International Graduate Scholarship from SAIC. He is currently an Artist Liessom Fellow at Ox-Bow School of Art and a resident at the Chicago Artists Coalition.

Curiosity lies at the heart of my teaching philosophy, driving both creative exploration and critical inquiry. I emphasize on student-centered learning, fostering an environment where students feel supported and inspired to push their practice. Inside the classroom, I make this possible by emphasizing three key approaches: one-on-one conversations on individual projects, which allow me to understand each student personally; group critiques or critiques with visiting artists, reinforcing critique language and offering valuable third-party perspectives; and satellite exercises, such as collective one-session paintings or murals, to depressurize the creative process and create space for play. These methods aim to balance introspection, collaboration, and experimentation, empowering students to grow both technically and conceptually