(bright music) - [Narrator] On this episode of "Postcards."

- And just compact this and pat it here with love.

- I like to call myself a love immigrant, because I move here because of love.

- Barbie can be anything, and anybody can be Barbie.

I actually feel like I represent what she means to people in the most pure form.

- I was just like, I'm gonna live my life, and I'm gonna live it how I want to, I'm gonna live.

I'm gonna do what makes me happy.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) - [Narrator] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.

Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen, on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Windom, Minnesota.

On the web at shalomhillfarm.org.

Alexandria, Minnesota, a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at explorealex.com.

The Lake Region Arts Council's arts calendar, an arts and cultural heritage funded digital calendar, showcasing upcoming art events and opportunities for artists in West Central Minnesota.

On the web at lrac4calendar.org.

Playing today's new music, plus your favorite hits, 96.7 KRAM, online at 967kram.com.

- Super important to clean as you go when you cook, or else, you run out of space.

(gentle music) - We've learned the hard way that the salt container needs to not live next to the coffee.

- You don't want, no, I put salt in the coffee one morning.

It was the worst thing ever, guys.

- Oh, that's so funny.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) - I like to cook everything that my mom used to cook, because it just feels like home, you know?

I'm always a little bit homesick.

And then the food, it's a way to connect with home.

We got lots of seafood over there, so it's a seafood paella, it's like a rice seafood with a sofrito and, but I also do croquetas, gazpacho, and I don't know, many other things.

I just sharpened my knives before doing this, guys.

So careful.

(gentle music) So my name is David Sendros Dib.

I grew up in Barcelona.

I had a great childhood, not traveling much at the time.

I had no idea then that I would end up living in the United States.

(gentle music) I am Spanish, but I'm also Catalan.

Catalonia is the region that is on the northeast Mediterranean corner of Spain.

We have our language and culture and different food and all that.

And I embrace both my Catalan heritage and Spanish heritage.

Some people might have conflicts with that.

I choose not to have any conflict.

I feel part of both.

And I think it makes you rich, having more than one culture.

(gentle music) I like to call myself a love immigrant, because I move here because of love.

We met dancing.

- The short story, yes.

So I lived in Barcelona for two years because I was doing a Master's degree.

And while I lived there, I made friends.

And we had mutual friends.

So our friends introduced us to each other at a concert.

So yes, we did meet dancing, but it turned out, - But we did not get together until years later.

- Yeah.

- But that's how we met.

- Exactly, we became friends.

- Yeah.

- For a while, and, - Are we still friends?

- Are we still friends?

- I don't know.

- Yes, we're still friends.

♪ I'm on my way ♪ I'm on my way We started playing some music together very early on.

And so I think playing music together and singing together and enjoying music or dancing together, has always been a big part of who we are together as a couple or as a family.

(cello music) ♪ They say that home is wherever your heart is ♪ - I think that's awesome that we can play music together, my wife and I.

She plays the ukelele and the cello and guitar and so much fun to play with her.

♪ Enjoy the ride that we are alive ♪ I was fascinated by the Beatles growing up.

So thanks to the Beatles, I learned a lot of English.

I started to play guitar, thanks to them.

Writing music, maybe it was when in my teens, like maybe like 15, 16, maybe my first song.

(guitar music) (singing in Spanish) One of the music styles that I like more about Spain, it's called rumba.

It's close to flamenco, but it's not flamenco.

It has more life, it's more strumming.

And so I decided to try to make a song on that style.

And that's a song called, (speaking Spanish) You could translate it like, "Some say out there," or, "I heard out there."

And that's a song to motivate you to enjoy life, to be out there, to not be shy, to be present.

(singing in Spanish) (singing in Spanish) - And it's pretty well shaped, but I'm gonna try to just, - It's a good size.

- Yeah.

And just compact this and pat it here with love.

We often do cook and share cooking together.

Definitely need our wine in hand for cooking Spanish food.

- Oh, you do need the wine.

- Spanish food, Spanish wine.

- So, Hannah, can I ask you a favor?

Could you please get the stickers off the tomatoes and wash the tomatoes and, - Ooh, you betcha!

- One of the things that reactivated my already passion for cooking, it's actually the fact that there's not many restaurants here to go, right?

So you really have to cook if you want to eat well.

So it's work, but I'm enjoying it.

(singing in Spanish) (singing in Spanish) Perfect.

- Mmm.

- Every time I go home, I come back with two suitcases full of the products that I can't find here.

We love our olive oil, our wines.

- Okay.

- All right.

(bell chiming) Hey, how's it going?

- [Off-Screen Voice] I liked that wine.

- When we moved to Madison and went to the liquor store, the wine selection was poor.

But I befriended the people working there and they came up with the list of the wines and they just asked us to pick a few wines that we thought could work.

And they were so nice that they brought all the wines that we chose and now they're there for everybody and they're selling them, not only to us.

(gentle music) - What do I love about David?

So many things.

I think it's extremely brave that he was willing to go all in on our love.

Not a lot of people would do what we chose to do with being willing to take a huge risk of dealing with immigration and figuring out how to see a future and walk towards that together.

- The fish.

The fish.

It's been eight years that I lived here and I got to explore the country, meet amazing people.

There's amazing people everywhere in the world.

That's something that, sometimes people like to put labels, these people, that there's good people and bad people everywhere.

(gentle music) One of the things that being an immigrant gives you is understanding the world from different perspectives.

And then you get to, you change a little bit, because kind of dis-attach a little bit from what's going on over there, what's going on over here, you get perspective.

Perfect, and I think this one we can do probably four parts.

- Yeah, probably.

- So you wanna hold this end?

- I don't think I'll start touring or anything like that.

Or going to a, like a chef school, or anything like that.

I use them every day, but the journey, so far, it's just to share it with friends, people, my wife, myself.

I still work on it and keep enjoying it.

♪ Across the cloud - In Catalan, to say I love you, the phrase is t'estimo.

It's T apostrophe, E-S-T-I-M-O.

Pronounced t'estimo.

I esteem you.

But it means I love you.

Like a romantic love, or like a family love, like a deep love for somebody that you have, you would say t'estimo.

♪ And if you try to catch me around ♪ ♪ I know you won't find me ♪ 'Cause there's always something beautiful ♪ ♪ Across the sky I'm on my way - My art can best be described as Barbie art.

(uptempo music) In a nutshell, I use Barbie and Ken as a catalyst to display my artistic vision.

(uptempo music) The Barbies that I choose for my art generally are either the vintage Barbies or the vintage-inspired Barbies.

And by that, I mean Mattel makes an entire line of Barbies that have the vintage face molds.

So they still have that great 60s look to 'em, but they're newer dolls, they're reproduction dolls.

So I can get them for a decent price without spending collector prices.

And then I can still maintain that vintage aesthetic for my art.

(uptempo music) So the ideas for the photo shoots themselves kind of come in, it's funny because, there's not like a real set way that I come up with them.

I'll have some general ideas floating around, and then I could be watching a movie, or looking at Barbie accessories online and all of a sudden a certain outfit will spur an idea for a shoot.

(uptempo music) Or for example, I had, I love Godzilla.

And I love Godzilla movies.

And I had always been thinking of doing a Barbie versus Godzilla shoot.

And it wasn't until I found an actual Godzilla toy that was the same size as Barbie, which I was not even aware existed.

And when I found that, then the shoot could progress, and the concepting really kind of gelled together.

(bright music) When I was a kid, I had a huge arsenal of toys.

I mean, I grew up in the 80s, so I mean, that is the mecca of toy amazingness.

So I had Legos and Playmobils and Barbies and everything under the sun.

My Little Pony, everything.

So for the Barbies that I had were the 80s Barbies, which are very particular, cool, superstar-era of Barbie.

I never had a Dreamhouse and I didn't have a Ken, but I had just these great 80s outfits and I had this really cool pool, and I don't know, it just, it was very fitting for the 80s.

Like everything about their outfits, and everything just screamed 80s.

♪ Barbie - [Narrator 1] The Barbie Workout Center comes with an exercise cycle and everything you see here.

Barbie doll sold separately.

New, from Mattel.

- So I worked at a photo lab, and just printed black and white all day long.

So I completely segued not only my professional, but my artistic, sort of process, all to photography, at that point.

And I did that for years.

And that's sort of how I started expressing myself artistically with photography, was because of this black and white job.

And it wasn't until that industry started shifting to all digital that I knew that everything that I did was gonna change.

So I had gone back to school and studied commercial and digital photography and it was at that point that I started adding Barbie into the mix, and it really spiraled from there.

I didn't originally assume when I started working with Barbie that that was going to be what I'm doing now, 16-plus years later.

But it was the thing that I created that was like the perfect combination of everything that I wanted.

I wanted to be an artist.

I love Barbie, of course.

I mean, you kind of have to, if you do what I do.

And I love 50s and 60s aesthetic.

Like that's my visual, my favorite sort of visual palette, is that vintage era.

(upbeat music) Why Barbie is still relevant is such a complex question.

It's a toy that has been in production since 1959 without any ceasing.

I mean, it has never stopped being in production.

So you have the nostalgia factor, you have the collector factor, you have people that, I mean I have 100 dolls, and I am, I mean, believe me, there are people with much vaster collections than I have.

And that's a very active market that has never gone away.

And then on top of that, you have a standard play line, you have a line of toy that's still being created for children.

(upbeat music) There's no other toy that commands cultural icon status like Barbie, and she has for decades.

(upbeat music) Being an artist in Minnesota is different than other places, in that I feel like we have a really larger sense of community in Minnesota.

And I think that Minnesota becomes very small very quickly.

And by that I mean so many artists in the state know each other, or have heard of each other, or go to each other's openings.

There's just such a sense of community here that it just feels very special here, and very welcoming to artists.

And I just think that's beautiful.

(upbeat music) This summer I've been asked, probably more than anything, how the "Barbie" movie has impacted my art, and my business in general.

I had an artist friend of mine who was my booth neighbor at an art fair, say to me, she's like, "Next summer is either gonna be your worst nightmare, or just an absolute dream."

And of course it's actually been an absolute dream.

(dramatic music) I actually do a sizable amount of Minnesota-themed, like Barbie and Ken out and about, especially in Minneapolis.

It's a theme that I actually need to revisit, because people connect with them very nicely at art fairs because it's almost like a little fun snapshot of maybe a place that you'd like to be at.

As somebody who's lived in Minneapolis pretty much my entire adult life, I like giving some little shout-outs to my city, like First Avenue, or the blue rooster at the Walker.

And then of course, the State Fair, granted that's not Minneapolis, but they have to be at the State Fair for a couple pieces too.

(gentle music) So my husband is my greatest partner with everything.

Not only are we life partners, we've been together 30 years, and he's very intimately involved with all photos that I do.

He is the final say when I'm working on a piece.

It's never done until he thinks it's good.

♪ Gentle whisper from a fan - What does Barbie specifically mean to me?

And I think what she does mean to me is that I actually feel like I represent what she means to people in the most pure form, which is that Barbie can be anything and anybody can be Barbie.

I don't look like a Barbie, but I'm somebody who wanted to be an artist my entire life.

And I literally live my dream every day, and it's because of Barbie.

So I mean, if that's not like the epitome of Barbie, I don't know what is, so.. (gentle music) (upbeat music) - I got involved with drag.

It was Pride, on Pride, probably like 2015?

Juju was performing, I believe her name is Jujubee, from "RuPaul's Drag Race."

She was performing for Pride in Minneapolis at the Loring Park.

And I just seemed, I don't know, it just seemed very magical to me.

I just loved how she could do these things, dress up, and perform and be entertaining, and everyone just lived for it.

That's something I've always wanted to do, literally.

I just always wanted to sing and entertain people.

And as soon as I saw that, I was like, "Oh my gosh!

Maybe I could put these two together, and make something out of it."

(upbeat music) I was very timid.

I didn't want to do drag.

I still was very unsure if that's something I wanted to do.

And my family worrying about me wearing dresses, and all that stuff.

(Ebony laughing) Yeah, it made me shy away from all of that.

But then I started to not really care.

I was just like, I'm gonna live my life, and I'm gonna live it how I want to.

I'm gonna live happily.

I'm gonna do what makes me happy without anyone there to judge me or hover over me.

(bright music) That's when I started performing honestly.

And I think that's where I got hooked.

There's something about it, when I get on stage, I just turn into like Sasha Fierce.

Like, it's a whole another personality, versus what you see now.

Like, it's a whole different person.

(upbeat music) And then after that, it was like, everything is like history.

'Cause I just loved it so much, it's really amazing.

Like the light that drag can really just bring to someone.

It's really crazy.

(upbeat music) Two years ago I decided to start sewing, start learning how to sew it myself.

I actually started from the YouTube videos.

And ever since that, I've just been making outfits, at least two outfits a month.

(upbeat music) I was very scared at first of sewing.

Very scared.

Like I didn't think I could do it because there's so many things that you have to learn literally, like.

And just the fact that of bringing something to reality from a drawing, to manifest it in reality, is just crazy to me.

(electronic music) I usually start by sketching up my own ideas.

Then I source the materials, get everything that I need in the cart, ends up being out of my budget.

(Ebony laughing) And then I just take time literally getting everything.

Just take parts and yeah, and come in this room, and I literally bring it to life.

(upbeat music) This is a Trans flag.

I wanted to make a Trans flag into a garment, and I wanted to make it more of a statement.

So I kinda made it into a train.

It's like a 50-inch, something like that, train.

(electronic music) The garments that I usually make, I use them in a lot of my performances.

I think a lot of people live for them, 'cause I don't know, it's a lot of blood and tears that goes into making stuff.

I don't think people actually know how hard it is.

(gentle music) Favorite fashion designer would have to be Guo Pei.

I don't know if you've ever heard of her, but, oh my gosh, amazing pieces.

Like I want to be able to have some of my pieces in a museum, one day.

Maybe as like a drag museum or something.

That'll be so beautiful.

(gentle music) Last year, I did a show in Montevideo, and it was amazing.

I did a tribute to Tina Turner.

She wasn't dead yet, but, (Ebony laughing) I did a tribute to her, and it was just amazing.

Like, the crowd was just over the top.

Beautiful people, beautiful experience.

(upbeat music) (audience cheering) My partner is my literal number one supporter.

He literally supports me in everything.

It's something he had to learn to love, honestly.

I think he learned to love it as much as I love it.

(upbeat music) I can't, couldn't love him more, couldn't love him any more.

Love him the most.

(upbeat music) Drag has taken me for a crazy ride, honestly.

It's taken me for a ride.

I just, I don't know how to explain it.

Like, I wouldn't have had these experiences, I know that for sure, if it wasn't for drag.

So I'm very honored that I even started it, and happy.

I'm just happy that I even started it, but, the journey, I feel like it's just getting started, honestly.

I feel like I haven't even moved yet.

(Ebony laughing) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) - [Narrator] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.

Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen, on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Windom, Minnesota.

On the web at shalomhillfarm.org.

Alexandria, Minnesota, a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at explorealex.com.

The Lake Region Arts Council's arts calendar, an arts and cultural heritage funded digital calendar showcasing upcoming art events and opportunities for artists in West Central Minnesota.

On the web at lrac4calendar.org.

Playing today's new music, plus your favorite hits, 96.7 KRAM, online at 967kram.com.

(upbeat music)