From MIDECIANT, we wish to express our deep sorrow for the passing of Uruguayan artist Clemente Padín, one of the donors to our collection and a major figure in International Mail Art.
Clemente Padín was a poet, performer, artist, graphic designer, and professor at the IUNA of URBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He opposed the Uruguayan dictatorship (1973–1984), and through his critical perspective, he supported an art based on creation from freedom. He devoted himself to experimenting with artistic languages, especially in the fields of mail art, visual poetry, performance, and action art.
He held a degree in Hispanic Literature from the University of the Republic (Uruguay). He directed several publications, including Los Huevos del Plata (1965–1969), OVUM 10 and OVUM (1969–1975), Participación (1984–1986), and Correo del Sur (2000). He published works such as CO(REO)ARTE (1989), La poesía es la poesía (2003), Poemas para (h)ojear (2004), Poesías completas (2014), among others.
He took part in numerous exhibitions—more than 200 collective and over 1,200 mail art exhibitions—both solo and collective, in countries such as the United States, Italy, South Korea, Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Brazil, Belgium, and Japan. He received the Pedro Figari Award for Artistic Career Achievement in his home country, Uruguay, in 2005. His archive is preserved at the General Archive of UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay.
The MIDECIANT wishes to join to this small tribute to Clemente Padín, sharing part of the great legacy he has left through his art.