In Lewis deSoto's breathtaking 26-foot long air-inflated installation, Paranirvana (self-portrait), religion, biography, and technology converge to raise profound questions about life, death, and spirituality. Interested in exploring the themes of physical change and the passage of time, Lewis deSoto portrays himself as Buddha at the moment of death and supreme consciousness. Inspired by the colossal rock carving of the 12th-century Gal Vihara Buddha in Sri Lanka, Paranirvana refers to a condition of transcendence beyond physical needs and desires. Inflated by a simple fan mechanism, the work's fragile materiality and empty interior underscore a sense of insubstantiality and impermanence.

The MCASD presentation of Paranirvana, which is part of the Museum's permanent collection, is the final stop in a national tour organized by the Samek Art Gallery, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.