Moncho presents the energy of ‘Awakening’ at Gallery Sonder
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It is often said that there are two sides to every story. Mexico City born artist José Ramón González, who goes by Moncho, creates paintings of abstract, geometric forms that have many sides, which means there are countless stories within them.
Moncho’s inaugural solo exhibition in the United States, “Awakening” is on view now through June 16, at Gallery Sonder in Corona Del Mar and the exhibition juxtaposes two parallel but interrelated bodies of work from the painter that reflects his changing energy and its ever-evolving narrative.
“I have been working a lot on my personal growth,” Moncho said at the show’s opening on May 23. “When we go through processes in our life, your internal human process to become a better person, a lot of energy comes out. When that energy comes out, we see life.”
Moncho, who has a studio in Costa Mesa, studied fine arts at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver and communications at Universidad Iberoamericana. A creative person with a love of animals, he thought he might become a veterinarian, but switched to the arts after one year of vet school.
His work has been exhibited in Canada, Europe and Mexico and featured in Canadian Art magazine. He has even collaborated on a special commission with the Swiss watch company Swatch.
“Awakening” is Moncho’s first solo show in the U.S. however. It’s a testament to Gallery Sonder founder Josh MacDonald’s commitment to fostering relationships with new, innovative voices in art.
Moncho works primarily in the areas of abstraction and subconscious figuration. “Awakening” is comprised of two series: ABC and XYZ.
“I have always worked in two styles. One is very geometric, hard-edged, with an internal and meditative process,” Moncho said. “The other is very loose, energetic and joyful; a very free style.”
The more structured ABC series is displayed on one side if the gallery, while the dreamy XYZ series occupies the other. They are two side of the same coin, or the same view from a different vantage point.
Pieces from the ABC series can begin with a red underpainting, like “Untitled ABC #4 (2025) with multifaceted, kaleidoscoping points that seem to expand and contract against the vivid red background. It is an expansive style that feels very much alive.
“I believe when people see these paintings they see high vibrations,” said Moncho.
However, the artist is careful not to dictate too much what stories people might find in his work. Part of the joy of painting in the abstract is the unexpected discoveries it allows viewers to make.
“They are abstract, completely abstract, but people see things,” said Moncho.
In “Untitled XYZ #6” (2025), a deep blue work with ethereal forms floating throughout, the scene could easily be interpreted as birds in the sky or fish in the water.
Moncho’s process usually involves music and very little sketching. For the ABC series, the paintings feature a small shape, like a triangle or half-moon that multiplies like a cell, replicating itself infinitely. Work in the XYZ series is created in a equally organic manner.
When the creative process is so fluid, its hard to know when it is over. Moncho said deciding when a painting is done is determined via intuition and sometimes the end of the canvas.
“I don’t sketch. I never know what is going to happen,” he said. “It’s almost the same way when you are working on yourself, when you are discovering yourself, you don’t know what is going happen.”
“Awakening” is on view through June 16 at Gallery Sonder, 3435 East Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar. For more information visit gallerysonder.com.
