Andrés Monnier is a Mexican artist based in Ensenada, who creates sculptural pieces that aim to spread consciousness through art, design, and sculpture. He is represented by Galerie Philia and Freeman Gallery, while also working independently through Monnier Studio. He uses various stones from all over Mexico to create sculptures, collectible designs, installations, and functional art. Monnier has a background in medicine, psychology, and industrial engineering. Before focusing on sculpting, he co-founded an outdoor furniture business in Guadalajara, co-owned a coffee and cigar bar, and collaborated with an international packaging company. Monnier’s aim is to provoke human consciousness through his art, to make people question their perceptions about the world around them. Learn more about his thought-provoking art in today’s Maker Monday.
The purpose of this piece, the Lattice-Sculptural Day Bed, is to invite us to question ourselves about the definition of dreams. “What is a dream?” says Monnier. “How do we know that all this is not a collective dream?”
Andrew Joseph: Has your mindset changed into 2023? In what ways?
Andrés Monnier: Totally. This year, things happened to me that I can’t explain with logical reasons. I understood (of course from my little perspective) that everything is connected in this universe. That we need to focus our futures on transcendental purposes, not an egocentric focus. We need to live in dialogue with the planet we live on, and with the other living species we interact with. To understand that just because we can walk on two legs and think, that doesn’t mean we “possess” the world. Does possession really exist? Or is it just an idea as everything in this human world? Aren’t we all ideas?
AJ: If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why?
AM: A cat. Because of their role and adaptation in this human world. Being another animal could be dangerous by just interacting with humans. And because they sleep a lot. I would like to sleep more.
Prometheo Uno, a sculptural fire pit, is inspired by the myth of Prometheus. It portrays the place where fire first appeared, in which Prometheus gave humans as a gift. The stone is a memorial to the rock where Zeus sentenced Prometheus to hold the stolen fire for all of eternity.
AJ: Describe your design style as if you were explaining it to someone who cannot see.
AM: Full of natural textures with notes of rawness and brutalism. Each detail has a meaning. As allegories.
AJ: Best advice you’d give your teenage self?
AM: We are more than just our names and physical bodies. We’re not just our emotions, thoughts and beliefs. We are a consciousness, an essence. Everything you know since you were born is programmed. You can question anything you like… in your mind, observe the one who thinks.
The Hyphae – Mycelium Rock Installation places in perspective the relationship between mind, universe and fungi.
AJ: Are you a pet person? Why either way? Dogs or cats?
AM: I love animals. I believe they are more complex creatures than what we can conceive and understand, as we are full of limited interpretations and opinions.
AJ: What’s the best thing that happened to you this month?
AM: I was invited to exhibit in Milan’s Design Week with my favorite contemporary gallery: Galerie Philia.
Existing as an artist and businessman, Andrés also works on Curatorial Projects, Installations and Production. With studies in medicine, psychology and industrial engineering, Monnier decided to launch as a sculpting artist in 2021. Before sculpting, Andrés co-funded an exterior furniture business in Guadalajara, co-owned a coffee + habanos bar, and collaborated with an international packaging company. Tired of the system and our self-centered and ideal world, Monnier decided to interpret universal knowledge through sculpting, trying to provoke human consciousness, making people question how they feel about a specific topic. Connecting to everyone through pieces seen as sculptural furniture.
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