When all the suns and nebulae have passed away, each one of you will still be alive

C.S. Lewis –

ANTICIPATION

To perceive. To warn. To notice. To observe. To see. To distinguish. To glimpse. To detect. To repair. To hear. To listen To smell. To taste. To charge. To pay in.  To collect. To receive. To comprehend. To understand. To discern. To intuit. To capture. To feel. To glance. To sight. To spot. To know.

THE TRUTH AND THE REALITY

What we live in is reality, but truth is something else. Reality is exile; the truth is the way home.

In this work, exile is represented by reality, and truth is represented by the way home. Human history is a reality that is exposed to the truth more and more. We live in a daily utopia, gambling our hopes for a better world. Reality is melancholy, longing, and an intense need to change what we live. It is as if we live in exile, hoping to return to our place of origin. Truth—always on the side of humanity—surpasses hope and faith; it is that eternity that has sustained the human race for centuries.

According to Kant in his Critique of Pure Reason, hope is not born out of a reassuring and optimistic worldview, but out of a suffering existence, and this produces a need to be rescued. Reality is the fact that civilizations fight for a better world, a world woven by finite ideologies and thinking that brings us to constant failure in our experience, producing great frustration in the collapsed social movements before they saw the light of day. Truth is something else in front of reality.

The source of truth lies in life. It is that path that we only find in the divine language that is the sacrifice of love, which cannot be classified in a system of thought; it is a love that transgresses reason. Truth is the way home that resides in us. No law can refute that we were created by love.

LÍBRANOS DEL MAL

The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

Psalm 50:1-6.

WHY DOES RAIN COME FROM HEAVEN?

A question is the climax of the search; a question stresses a limitation, it’s the preamble to freedom. The disciples followed Jesus because they acknowledged their human limitations. They were opening their limitations and lifting the barriers between faith and doubt.

Why does change stir our emotions?

Why does light bring us hope?

Why is love stronger than death?

Why doesn’t anyone know where the wind comes from or where it goes?

A question invites us to rest, the harmony between understanding and innocence, a lyrical expression in the confidence of disbanding fear and doubt. A question is the invitation to a relationship with Him who knows all things; with the Creator who stretches out his hands toward humanity. We seek to become human again and simultaneously long to rest in the fullness of our Maker.

THE TRUE VINE

Apart from the true vine, we are nothing, “I am the true vine and you are the branches, and my father is the husbandman,” Jesus said. I suppose it was music to the disciples’ ears, as Jesus spoke in parables, which was food for the soul. I always have thought that the Word of God nurtures us with life as the vine nurtures the branches. In this work, I use pigments, such as Prussian blue, in order to give light to the vine and the branches delicately inlaid with gold leaf.

THE LAST HOUR

1 At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” 5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before I stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” 9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. 11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”

DANIEL 12

FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST

Every layer is one generation. Orient (East) 

(from the Latin oriens, participle of oriri: to appear, to be born).

Occident (West) (from the Latin occidens: the place where the sun sets).

Time can be revealed in each of the more than 20 layers of minerals, delicately applied on paper or canvas. I am a witness of the immediate effect between that which can be seen and that which cannot be seen, between intuition and the process in which I can perceive an image. When we read about the coming of the Lord “that it will be like lightning that comes from the east and flashes to the west,” one instant encloses thousands of years in generations of hope-filled history.   

“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:27.

Between the East and the West, we find generations, centuries, cultures, ideologies, and religions; history, philosophy, wars, immorality, joys, and sadness; triumph, love, faith, the material world, and the spiritual world. The East is the place where the sun rises and the West is where it sets. In the literal meaning of both terms, there is a beginning and an end, a birth and a fall. The alpha and the omega.

THE LAST EXODUS

Exodus from the Hebrew We-’eleh shemoth (“and these are the names”), or simply shemoth (“names”), or from Latin exodus (“departure” or “exit”), refers to the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt.

“The Last Exodus” is an emphasis on the miracle of liberation. The exodus, the exile of Israel, became a celebration that the Jewish people still carry in the heart of their culture: the Passover.

In this journey, I intend the work to be like a mirror that reflects the reality of a war of ideologies. It is a metaphor between the real and the surreal, where I imagine the night when the disciples and Jesus celebrated the Passover, during the last supper. These men gathered around their teacher, Jesus, listened carefully about the reality they would see in the coming days—His departure—explained from the divine and prophetic perspective. In the natural words of their Rabbi: “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” I try to see the invisible from a spiritual angle. An exodus is simply a departure, a change of location. Jesus said, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on.” In these words, we can clearly see a farewell, a visible departure in order to remain in us in an invisible way.

An exodus is the transformation of an entire nation. Here the Prophet spoke in plural: “Until that day when I drink it new with you.” (We-’elehshemoth/and these are the names). The last exodus will be when an entire generation is set apart and taken to a new place and live in it for eternity.

Celebrating freedom is a joy rooted in Him who has known captivity. The Cross is the fullness of freedom, a triumph of hope manifested in a real way that transforms him who believes in the Son of God.

Matthew 24:31.

WAVE OF GRACE

I finished this work just a few days before the tsunami hit Japan. On March 11, 2011, I woke up and turned on the TV to watch the news. The first images seared my eyes—I saw devastation and destruction. I felt small and fragile seeing how the huge waves swept away centuries of honor and culture. I thought of the thousands of lives that were lost every minute, and how one of the most modern civilizations on our planet was fragmented by its technology and communication in a matter of minutes. The nuclear industry became the prey of the world media; the strength of its economy was questioned whether it had provisions for the survivors and compensation for the lives lost.

When I saw that millenary culture being fractured, I sensed it would eventually be strengthened through this great lamentation. Destruction would become an opportunity for a more solid rebuilding. Faith and hope embraced this nation and the whole world. I decided to name this work “Wave of Grace”—a great wave of the Creator’s Grace will land on this nation. In a similar manner, I thought about the minerals I use for this technique.

These minerals, such as malachite, go through a process of destruction and crushing; they are mixed with animal skin and turned into liquid. In the end, they are applied to the surface of my canvas. In the process, and in-between every layer, a generation that leaves an impression can be perceived and the transparency of each one of these layers reveals a beauty that rips the passing of time. The azurite mineral powder with its qualities and colors is applied horizontally with significant amounts of water.  The scene is beautifully intertwined with time and work and leaves a print of the author’s hand.

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

/ Oh God, Redeem Mexico From All Its Anguishes

I finished this work just a few days before the tsunami hit Japan. On March 11, 2011, I woke up and turned on the TV to watch the news. The first images seared my eyes—I saw devastation and destruction. I felt small and fragile seeing how the huge waves swept away centuries of honor and culture. I thought of the thousands of lives that were lost every minute, and how one of the most modern civilizations on our planet was fragmented by its technology and communication in a matter of minutes. The nuclear industry became the prey of the world media; the strength of its economy was questioned whether it had provisions for the survivors and compensation for the lives lost.

When I saw that millenary culture being fractured, I sensed it would eventually be strengthened through this great lamentation. Destruction would become an opportunity for a more solid rebuilding. Faith and hope embraced this nation and the whole world. I decided to name this work “Wave of Grace”—a great wave of the Creator’s Grace will land on this nation. In a similar manner, I thought about the minerals I use for this technique.

These minerals, such as malachite, go through a process of destruction and crushing; they are mixed with animal skin and turned into liquid. In the end, they are applied to the surface of my canvas. In the process, and in-between every layer, a generation that leaves an impression can be perceived and the transparency of each one of these layers reveals a beauty that rips the passing of time. The azurite mineral powder with its qualities and colors is applied horizontally with significant amounts of water.  The scene is beautifully intertwined with time and work and leaves a print of the author’s hand.

YESHUA

The word “Y’shua” is “the Word,” and it is mentioned for the first time in Genesis 49:18 “I have waited for your salvation, (y’shua) O LORD!” The meaning of Y’shua is “salvation.” The root of the word is “yasha”, which means “saves.” Therefore, Y’shua is salvation. He not only gives us salvation, He is salvation. He is the Word. That is His nature, established from the beginning.

Every Hebrew word has a verbal root that sets the foundation for the other words that are related to it. The individual letters of the Hebrew alphabet were placed in divine order. Every letter of a word has a meaning and, when put together with others, they form a complete meaning. The words “saves,” “frees,” “preserves” and “helps” are words that translate into the word “Yasha.”

The word “Yeshua” is made of three consonants. These consonants are yod, shin, and ayin. Every one of these letters has a primitive form and meaning. The primitive form of the letter you were like the form of a hand, and its meaning was “act” or “action.”  The primitive form of the letter shin was like the form of a tooth and its meaning was “to consume” or “to destroy.” The primitive form of the letter ayin was like the form of an eye, and its meaning was “to set your eyes on” or “look towards.” The order of these letters helped the first Hebrews who observed the Torah to understand the full meaning of the word. In order to be saved, you had to start with an action, followed by the destruction of that thing you were rescued from, and it ends with devotion, placing your eyes on that which set you free. (Taken from “Yeshua Shemi” Ministry.)

In the 18th century, Dostoyevsky presented the concept that if we allow our value system to end, much destruction will follow. On the other hand, the end of values is the idea of nihilism. Nietzsche brags about the coming of a new kind of man —An Ultraman— a new form of self; a celebration of the end of values. However, it is difficult to conceive the idea of human salvation coming from humanity itself. The way to preserve the spirit of man is through the Spirit of the Creator Himself. Him in us, from the perspective of re-humanization through Jesus Christ—the Savior in us—as shown in the writings of the artist Makoto Fujimura.

When I think about Yeshua I don’t think of a human face; I think of salvation.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.