And After Comes Faith

This artwork shows ruins overtaken by vegetation and the role they play in shedding light on the past through the present narrative.

Production year: 2020.

"and there was faith"

jesus never mentions hope

crafting words
inviting people 
to dig deep into 
what might save them

faith

faith he says 
will move mountains
as tiny as a seed of mustard
if only present in the heart

he spoke of what comes after
what will you do
when you are healed
get up
carry your things and follow me

i speak of what comes after
as i walk on stones left by my ancestors

had they not walked towards their creator
i would not have existed

there is a movement
born of woundedness
a wind enticed by death

there is faith in union
in the impossible turned on its back

but then Jesus never spoke of hope
he did speak of faith
and what is it like to walk beyond brokenness
just carry your things and follow me

the blood that made these stones drunk
the flesh feeding trees and flowers
lives lost under blue skies
staunch smells of babies rotting
what stays after had those who lived
not continue their walk
or had a grain of faith
that healing is possible
that life mends
and love builds

the breeze caresses my face
my tears flow towards my ancestors
they are not so far from me
they are you and me
and our parents and our leaders

and i have faith in me
and all of you

Artist Statement

My work is a combination of painting, poetry, and music. I have always been fascinated by ruins and walking through them; I could imagine the lives that inhabited them. With the current situation of the world, especially the genocide in Gaza, ruins have given me a new perspective on understanding the disappearance of a society, notably its men, women, and children, in addition to its building structures.  As a response to Aftermaths, I witness the ruins as physical remnants of a culture. Their emptiness evokes the displacement of its people, which is portrayed by our current events, including horrifying acts of annihilating them under several pretexts. The music has a repeating phrase inviting the listener to remember how to ground into faith and the melodies are an expression of grief and contained rage.