NIGHT VISION
( NIGHT TIDES )⏛
Night Vision forms part of Ana Montiel’s ongoing series of entoptic paintings—
from the Greek entos (inside) and opsis (seeing)—which investigate the thresholds
of perception and the architectures of vision. Conceived to reflect the blurred,
uncertain reality of daily life, Night Vision bring attention to the unconscious
mind: the hidden domain that receives, filters, and organises vast amounts of
sensory and emotional information beyond the reach of conscious awareness.
Montiel’s technique involves the layering of acrylic paint through her signature spray-gun method. The resulting surfaces oscillate between shimmering, atmospheric fields and intricate constellations of dots. This duality echoes the operation of perception itself: shifting between clarity and ambiguity, between the known and the unknown, in an ever-changing negotiation of sight and meaning.
With Night Vision, Montiel deepens her inquiry into the unseen dimensions of experience. The series gestures toward the subterranean currents that shape thought and behaviour, reminding us that what we call consciousness is only a thin surface film. These works do not seek resolution; instead, they invite the gaze to linger in uncertainty, to inhabit the flicker between presence and absence—where perception opens, and mystery remains.
Montiel’s technique involves the layering of acrylic paint through her signature spray-gun method. The resulting surfaces oscillate between shimmering, atmospheric fields and intricate constellations of dots. This duality echoes the operation of perception itself: shifting between clarity and ambiguity, between the known and the unknown, in an ever-changing negotiation of sight and meaning.
With Night Vision, Montiel deepens her inquiry into the unseen dimensions of experience. The series gestures toward the subterranean currents that shape thought and behaviour, reminding us that what we call consciousness is only a thin surface film. These works do not seek resolution; instead, they invite the gaze to linger in uncertainty, to inhabit the flicker between presence and absence—where perception opens, and mystery remains.
NIGHT VISION #3 (above) and NIGHT VISION #6 (below)
Acrylic, oil pastel, colored pencils on canvas, protected with matt UV varnish
74 51/64 x 90 35/64 inches / 190 x 230 cm
The obtuse dance of the subconscious cryptically deposits images on the surface of our minds. We look at these reverberations, and ponder about their meaning. Are these seeds from my childhood, blooming? Do they come from another me in the multiverse... or from the collective unconscious soup we all share?
I see these paintings, as subliminal inflorescences. Ghost of thoughts we might have had on another timeline. Latent, slightly elusive, but definitely possible.
Ana Montiel
Night Vision #3 (detail)
NIGHT VISION #5
Acrylic, oil pastel, colored pencils on canvas, protected with matt UV varnish
74 51/64 x 90 35/64 inches / 190 x 230 cm
NIGHT VISION #9
Acrylic, oil pastel, colored pencils on canvas, protected with matt UV varnish
74 51/64 x 90 35/64 inches / 190 x 230 cm
NIGHT VISION #1 and #2
Acrylic, oil pastel, colored pencils on canvas, protected with matt UV varnish
53 5/32 inches x 62 63/64 inches / 135 x 160 cm
NIGHT VISION #5
Acrylic, oil pastel, colored pencils on canvas, protected with matt UV varnish
74 51/64 x 90 35/64 inches / 190 x 230 cm
NIGHT VISION #6 (detail)
NIGHT VISION #3
Acrylic, oil pastel, colored pencils on canvas, protected with matt UV varnish
74 51/64 x 90 35/64 inches / 190 x 230 cm
Acrylic, oil pastel, colored pencils on canvas, protected with matt UV varnish
74 51/64 x 90 35/64 inches / 190 x 230 cm