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Indepth Arts News:
"Douglas Padilla: dougieland Paris"
2004-06-30 until 2004-07-27
Halle Saint Pierre
Paris, ,
FR France
Two years ago, May of 2002, Minneapolis artist Douglas Padilla and his wife, Susan Jacobsen, were enjoying a delightful two week sojourn in the Paris, the city of lights and the historic home of artists for centuries. Day after day they hit museum after museum, gallery after gallery. They saw Rembrandt at the Louvre, Gauguin at the D’Orsay, Dubuffet at the Pompidou, and, of course, Rodin at the Rodin and Picasso at the Picasso. One of their favorite venues, though, was the Musee Halle Saint Pierre.
Set at the foot of Sacre Coeur, the gorgeous white cathedral in Montmarte, the 18th arrondissement, home at the turn of the century to the likes of Toulouse-Latrec, Van Gogh, Utrillo, and Picasso, Halle Saint Pierre, part of the Paris museum system, is the premier institution in all of Europe for the exhibition of outsider art. (The term "outside art" is a strange art world aesthetic category that includes self-taught artists, raw art, visionary art, marginal artists, neuve art, art brut and art singular.) As always, Padilla was carrying slides of his art that spring day. Slides, a resume, an artist’s statement, and press clippings. He left that package at the information desk with a note to please pass it on to the museum director. Two years and one month later, he opens a solo show of his paintings on paper at Museé Halle Saint Pierre.
Douglas Padilla bio:
Dr. Swami Lucky Dougie Padilla is a self-taught visionary artist of Norwegian/Mexican roots living in the wilds of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. In his 55 years he has lived in a tent thru a sub-zero winter, farmed soybeans, survived the psychedelic travails of Haight-Ashbury, created and lost a million dollar a year business, trained with an underground anti-war cadre during the Vietnam war, meditated with his guru in India, done thousands of drawings and paintings, and founded numerous organizations, among them Art Jones Gallery, Grupo Soap del Corazon, Salon Artisimo, and Last Chance Dharma Center and Temple. Among occupations he has counted artist and arts activist, farmer, blacksmith’s apprentice, jade cutter, sportswear designer, yoga instructor, nurse’s aide, roofer, and census taker. He learned to sight sing Bach cantatas at age 11, lasted one embattled year in college (1967), wandered schizophrenic on the streets of chicago, had his first heart attack at age 20, helped birth his daughter, and coached and played soccer until his foot didn’t work anymore (age 49). He has studied with Jerry Gerasimo, Swami Vishnudevananda, Swami Venkatesananda, Katagiri Roshi, Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh, Michael Macmacca, Robert Bly, James Hillman, Malidome Some’, and Martin’ Prectel. He sees the Cobra School, Marc Chagall, John Coltrane, Federico Garcia Lorca, Howard Finster, Rahasaan Roland Kirk, Johnny Cash, Hieronymous Bosch and Mexican folk art as the pillars of his aesthetic universe. He has shown at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Plains Museum in Fargo, and countless galleries throughout the Twin Cities. He has served on boards and committees of arts non-profits and educated and mentored children in art. He has curated and organized exhibitions and art events of all levels. For this Padilla has received the Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, several Ofrenda awards form CreArte, Chicano Latino Cultural Center and Museum, and was named one of Minneapolis’ City Pages’ "Artists of the Year" in 2000. He currently resides at www.dougieland.com with his extraordinary wife and delightful extended family and is pleased to live in this world.
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