- Jobs
- Open Calls
- Events
- Learning
- More
- SUBMIT
Lewis deSoto: Paranirvana (Self-Portrait): April 17 – July 31, 2016

Works by Lewis deSoto are informed by the artist’s longstanding interest in anthropology, history, mythology, and religion. Proficient in a variety of media, deSoto is recognized for his photography, sculpture, and mixed media installations that incorporate video, sound, and performance. Paranirvana (Self-Portrait) (2015) is the most recent work in a series of oversize, inflatable sculptures based on the figure of the 12th-century Buddha at Gal Vihara in Sri Lanka. Conceived after his father died, figures from this series are in recline, much like the famous Buddha, and painted with features that resemble the artist. This work is just as much a self-portrait as it is a representation of universal life, death, and supreme consciousness. Activated with a low-noise industrial fan, the 26-foot long, 6-foot high sculpture inflates (inhales) when switched on, and deflates (exhales) when switched off at the end of each day, alluding to the spiritual breath, or Prana, in Hindu philosophy. Prevailing among a vast range of counterpoints: monumental and ephemeral, witty and thought-provoking, Paranirvana (Self-Portrait) rouses reflections upon existence, loss, spirituality, and much more. This work was specially commissioned by SBMA and is presented in the Museum’s historic Ludington Court.
Lewis deSoto grew up in San Bernardino, California. His Spanish and Cahuilla (Native American) heritage are often subjects of his work; as, for example, in his constructed, fictional automobiles with titles such as the “1965 DeSoto Conquest” (2004), and the “1981 GMC Cahuilla (2006).” He studied Fine Art and Religious Studies as an undergraduate at the University of California Riverside, and received a Master of Fine Arts from Claremont Graduate School. His work has been collected and exhibited internationally throughout his 30-year career. He has been a professor at San Francisco State University since 1988.
Image credit: Lewis deSoto, Paranirvana (Self-Portrait), 1999-2015. Painted vinyl infused cloth, electric air fan, 4th in a series with color variations, Dimensions variable. Courtesy of Chandra Cerrito Contemporary.
![]() |
Call for Artists Collect Art International |
#loveofmylife/ Special Edition 05/February/2023 |
![]() |
Funding & Grants MyMA New York city |
MyMA Artist Grant 31/January/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Artists Grazia Rosa London |
SUPERNATURAL 17/February/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Artists Fusion Art / Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery Santa Fe/Online |
c5th Annual Into the Wild Art Competition 05/March/2023 |
![]() |
Residency Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Banff |
Indigenous Dramaturgies Exchange 2023 15/February/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Artists ARTJOBS.com London |
Artist Of The Month ( January ) 31/January/2023 |
![]() |
Residency Tangent Projects BARCELONA |
OPEN CALL Residency Programme 2023/24 19/February/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Artists VVOVVA |
ESC — OPEN CALL / #2033 06/February/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Artists Artworks for Freedom Washington, Washington D.C. |
In-Transit: The Body As Currency 31/January/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Artists Columbia Festival of the Arts Columbia |
Columbia Festival of the Arts Invitational Fine Arts & Crafts Show 06/March/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Artists The Gallery by MUI |
Studio Tour Open Call 12/February/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Artists Primo Piano Special Projects Lecce |
Traces of time: Weaves, woven and other joints 28/January/2023 |
![]() |
Residency The Watermill Center Water Mill |
The 2024 Artist Residency Program 13/February/2023 |
![]() |
Residency Kolaj Institute Sanquhar |
Call to Artists: Collage Artist Residency Scotland-Spring 2023 29/January/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Submissions Municipal Art Society of New York New York |
2023 Brendan Gill Prize 17/February/2023 |
![]() |
Residency Kulturschöpfer Berlin |
Open Call In//Between #9 Artist Residency 01/February/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Entries Hiiibrand Nanjing |
Hiiibrand Awards 2022 - Call for Entries is now open! 15/February/2023 |
![]() |
Residency Houston Center for Contemporary Craft Houston |
HCCC Artist Residency Program 01/March/2023 |
![]() |
Call for Entries Art Fluent Online |
Call for Art-BRILLIANCE 10/March/2023 |