OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, JANUARY 30TH from 6:00pm-8:00pm.
Children’s Workshop: Saturday, February 7th from 10:30am-12:00pm.

Join us for the ritual inflation/deflation of Paranirvana: 10 minutes after opening and 20 minutes before closing, Wednesday through Sunday.

Paranirvana (self-portrait) is a monumental 26-foot-long Buddha made of air-brushed polyethylene, air-filled and fan inflated, resting on a symbolic deathbed. The artist has replaced Buddha’s face with his own, portraying both himself and the Buddha at the moment of death and supreme consciousness (nirvana). The sculpture is a provocative paradox, depicting a massive solid form that is light as air. It was created when the artist was dealing with the death of his father. DeSoto’s installations have been exhibited in museums and galleries in the U. S., England, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Sweden.

Exhibition catalogue published by Bucknell University, with essays by Stephanie Hanor and Elaine Posner.