This artwork was inspired by a photograph published in a Venezuelan newspaper article in 2020, amid the crisis in Venezuela. The article highlighted the death of 12 Venezuelans who were fleeing the country due to the crisis itself. Their feet were bleeding, and they likely died of hunger.

It was a true challenge to paint this canvas, and it took a considerable amount of time (almost two years). During this period, I reflected deeply on the time we are living in and the role of the Church in the face of all this.

If there is a time when the Church must act, it is in the midst of crisis. We must be prepared to proclaim the Gospel at any moment, but during crises there is a much greater level of reach. Through care, support, and teaching, we can reach the nations. The fact that people are dying must move the Church, not merely stir emotion.

In the simplicity of these strokes, with each brushstroke, I sought to portray the search, the journey toward survival, hope for a more dignified life, hope to survive, hope to enjoy the most precious gift we have: life.

On the left side of the painting, dark tones refer to fleeing from a dark time and moving toward a time of light, where a real encounter with Christ becomes increasingly possible. For this, we, as the Church, need to prepare ourselves to receive the foreigner and thus fulfill our Great Commission.

May God bless everyone who reads this description, and may He, through the Holy Spirit, lead them to ever higher places.

Felipe Batista (Maringá/PR)
Traditional and digital illustrator, trained in Theology and Visual Arts.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desenhistacristao/

Artwork presented in 2022 at the VI Refugees Forum
Theme: “Challenged to Welcome”