Sofía Crimen

Estudio Sofía Crimen and Montblanc present the immersive experience MU.

The narrative of MU transports us to the 1970s and 1980s, to the golden age of Japanese subcultures. In the heart of Tokyo’s red-light district, Kabukicho, the streets glow with neon lights, pachinko parlors, and love hotels, forming the backdrop for suited men with impenetrable gazes, slicked hair, and resolute steps, heading toward shadowy bars where pacts of honor and power are sealed.

The maxim “Die beautifully, live with honor” permeates the atmosphere. Ink—indelible and ceremonial—embedded in every inch of skin, recalls unbreakable oaths; while Western cars reflect the status, elegance, and splendor of those who see themselves as heirs to the ancient samurai.

Under this premise, MU is born: a unique exhibition by Sofía Crimen in collaboration with Montblanc, a Maison that has turned writing, ink, and the creative gesture into a cultural legacy. In this dialogue, the artist rescues not only an aesthetic, but also universal concepts deeply tied to Montblanc’s history: the power of ink as testimony, the honor of belonging, and hierarchy as a symbolic structure—tearing a fragment of Kabukicho from its context and placing it, without concessions, before our eyes.

Sofía Crimen presents her vision of postwar Japan, a territory marked by chaos, inhabited by the ghosts of the past and built upon the seduction of false elegance, excessive opulence, and lifelong commitments. Her work moves with precision on the threshold of the forbidden, where beauty and decadence coexist.

Composed of previously unseen works and conceived especially for this exhibition, MU is built from an organic, symbol-laden materiality: from charred wooden logs to authentic vehicles from the period. Each element functions as a vestige of honor, power, and inevitable decay.

In this process, Montblanc notebooks and inks become fundamental components of the works within the experience. More than tools, they are vessels of memory and vehicles of expression, heirs to a centuries-old tradition in which ink transcends its function to become language, ritual, and permanence. Their presence unifies the collaboration between the artist and the luxury Maison, shaping a creative synergy that connects the symbolic heritage of writing with its reinterpretation within modern Japan.

— Maythé loza y Alberto Ramos

Open January 30, 31 and February 1, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.