“Papaya Buddha” / John Hillmer Pop-Up Art Show at Bordello Galeria

John Hillmer Pops Up Peacefully With “Papaya Buddha” at Bordello Galeria 

“Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.” —Thich Nhat Hanh

Artist John Hillmer returns to the lovely Bordello Galeria courtyard for a two-day pop-up show of paintings and prints called “Papaya Buddha”.

Yes, Buddhas appear frequently in Hillmer’s work, though usually with a distinctly musical or Mexico twist. There may be a slice of lime flying out of a buddha-played trumpet or a big papaya resting on the head of a buddha. Hillmer has lived on and off in Mexico for many years and his pieces are often playful puzzles, curious paradoxes, or buen preguntas. These images hint at things both sacred and profane, spiritual and mundane, eternal and everyday. 

Hillmer seems to suggest that it’s all one and best done playfully—like a guitar or childhood. And that these endless interconnections offer grand opportunities for creation.

These paintings offer meditations on Mexico, mythology, spirituality, jazz, blues, and funky shoes. Certainly, Hillmer’s art has taken some good walks. 

His large stage murals have accompanied well-known artists like Ray Charles, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal, and Maya Angelou. His graphic designs and illustrations have been used to celebrate more than 50 music, community, and literary events across North America, including Earshot’s World Jazz Festival and Folklife Festival in Seattle. He also taught art and design at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara for five years. 

These days he mixes it up with some “turtle travel”—longer stays at a slower pace. Recently he returned from an extended visit to the cenote-filled Yucatán peninsula. Last year, in the midst of Covid craziness, he lived several months in a cabin in tree-dense Comala, Colima, one of Mexico’s many Pueblo Magicos. Trees, he notes, are beautiful buddhas with leaves.

One of Hillmer’s favorite peeps is Thich Nhat Hanh, the recently passed Vietnamese monk, poet, and peace activist whose life and many books continue to inspire people all over the world. He notes that not only was “Thay” an inspiring and peaceful man he even suggested ways to draw buddhas! More than that, he encouraged becoming your own teacher, living your own wisdom, creating your own communities, and healing in different ways— whether that’s personally or globally. Art, says Hillmer, is unquestionably a form of healing. Not to mention a good walk.

You’re humbly invited to walk on over to the Bordello Galeria at Organos #19 and join us in the courtyard.

…

“Papaya Buddha” / Paintings & Prints by John Hillmer

Sat., Feb. 26, Noon-6 p.m. / Sun., Feb 27, Noon-5 p.m.

Bordello Galeria Courtyard / Organos #19 

(1/2 block off Hernandez Macias in Centro)

johnhillmer.com