Artworks

Title: Untitled

Digital Photography - 2021

Life is suffering, a truth established by the Bible. I decided to represent this with a crying portrait. A universal symbol of suffering. To my surprise, Joss really cried. Something I couldn't do. For this she shared with me a difficult time in her life and we played a song that reminded her of this time, the title of which accompanies the portrait.

We can react to suffering in two ways. The first is to take that suffering (which is very real) as a reason to take justice against God for giving us an existence full of tragedy. This is represented by the portrait on the left: someone who decides to cover his ears and impose his anger by shouting. A reaction that we see in Acts chapter 7, when Stephen is unjustly judged and executed by people full of resentment. This reaction is common in each of us. The text that accompanies the portrait is a statement from one of the Columbine High School killers (1999), "The human race is not worth fighting for, it is only worth death...Nothing means anything anymore." Who among us has not felt this way at some point?

The other way to react to suffering is with love. Love is something very difficult to define and can be done in many ways. But this time, in the portrait on the right, it is depicted as someone looking up and making a wish upon a star. It's something we've all done. It is literally asking for something that you cannot achieve assuming that one day you will achieve it. That for me is believing like a child. Believe that everything is possible. A belief that contrasts sharply with the cynicism of adults. And once you decide to believe, you ask yourself how I can get there and you make the necessary decisions to reach the top. That's love to me. That's why the portrait is accompanied by a quote from my favorite book, The Great Gatsby. Another example of someone who shamelessly decided to believe in something impossible.

Yes, life is suffering. Are you going to take that as a reason to take justice against God for giving us an existence full of tragedy or are you going to say "Yes, life is full of suffering but can also be beautiful, therefore I'm going to accept that suffering." It's why Jesus says: take up your cross and follow me.

Title: Land of All

Digital Photography - 2020

"That is why your camp must be a holy place; If the Lord sees anything indecent, he will turn away from you." It is common practice for Christians today to separate the spiritual from the "earthly," but that is wrong. The physical world is as spiritual as the abstract, which is why in Deuteronomy 23 the Lord warns against anything indecent and states that this would not allow the camp, or in our case our homes, to be a holy place. In a way he reminds us that we are not machines, that it is not about building churches that look like factories, that we must take care of and beautify our bodies, without making the excuse that none of that is spiritual. This is important to remember during this period of quarantine and social distancing. Just because I am not in the presence of others does not mean I should neglect my appearance and my home. For everything "earthly" must be an extension of his kingdom and must be cared for and presented as a holy place.

Title: Part 3

Digital Photography - 2019

I never wrote a description for this work. It reflects on how each of us must be trial by suffering and resist it in order to achieve transcendence. The title refers to the video game Silent Hill 3. Which takes the protagonist on a journey to a personal hell where she has to face and, above all, contemplate all the suffering in her life. Just to accept it and get over it. The work is accompanied by two more photographs that represent the resistance required in times of suffering. Which are shown below.