Artist bio

Hi EA team:) My name is Catarina Calderón and I am a 25 year old warrior of Christ. I was born in El Salvador however, I am also half Venezuelan. After living five years in Canada due to my studies, now I am back to living in my tiny but beautiful tropical paradise in Central America; El Salvador, which in Spanish it actually means The Savior. This is one of many blessings that make me feel proud to come from this country and therefore, be able to participate in this amazing platform which gives creative minds and hearts like mine, the opportunity to showcase different types of art with the Scripture as its foundation. One of my biggest blessings in life is to have been raised in a Christian home. Nevertheless, it was my only and older sister, who since I was little taught me about our almighty and loving Father. Therefore, I had the chance to grow up knowing God and build a relationship with him within time. Some facts about me: I love adventures because I have an hyperactive, edgy, and free-spirited mom. Sports have always been a part of my life since I have a super sporty dad. I was a high performance athlete in Tennis and Squash until I was 18, and this gave me the opportunity to represent my country in various occassions. I love dogs with all my heart and some of my hobbies are cooking, designing, sleeping, dancing and painting. Last but not least, I decided to study Communications and International Relations in Vancouver, Canada in order to use the poweful tool of communicating in any way to impact peoples' lives, to influence people through love, empathy, solidarity, tolerance, and service. With all my heart I believe that these are some of the greatest gifts God has given to humanity, and we as humans have the responsibility to spread, teach and be an example of these virtues with/through our lives. Fernando Vega: Hello everyone:) My name is Fernando Vega and I am 24 years old. I come from El Salvador, a very little yet amazingly beautiful country in Central America. I am currently studying Communications and at the same time I am preparing myself through different courses alongside to become a motion grapher and film director. I love photography; it is in my DNA. Everything that has to do with producing, editing and using a camera is something I absolutely love. My mind and soul are married to creativity and for me is such an important and amazing opportunity to be able to participate in this contest, in which I can express myself through my passion and inspired my work through the Scripture at the same time. I’ve been blessed to have been raised in a Christian family however, I have never had the chance to make artwork from a Christian point of view.

Title

The Spiritual Trilogy: Chained to the Unseen, Strengthened by Prayer, Standing Firm

Medium/Genre

Photography

Artist Statement

I created a trilogy of pictures to visually represent a specific process from beginning to end that we find within Ephesians 6:10-20; the spiritual battle. I was inspired by the unseen dark forces of (behind) mental illnesses, that almost no one talks about, and the defeat of those by God as well. Having gone through this specific spiritual battle myself, I felt the need and courage to portray the struggle and the victory within this topic. I named this artwork: The Spiritual Trilogy- Chained to the Unseen, Strengthened by Prayer, and Standing Firm.

As described in this passage, evil, darkness and struggle are real but so is the Armor and Power of God. Physical health is just equally as important as mental health and although we have started to erase the cultural taboo around the world, the majority of people do not give the importance it deserves just because sometimes ''you cannot see it''. Through this artwork, I wanted to bring awareness about the dark forces of mental illness that many individuals face. Thus, what goes unseen in the physical realm without consciousness, becomes a needle in hay. This makes people feel lost, drained, alone, powerless or even dead inside and some do not understand or are conscious that something is going on, meaning there is an internal battle that has its roots in the spiritual. But God is always there, it does not matter how dark everything may seem, His light is always fighting darkness for you.

I am a hard believer of the power of nonverbal communication such as pictures, in order to transmit impactful messages. As I stated at the beginning, I have gone through spiritual battles related to mental disorders myself such as PTSD, depression and anxiety. My testimoy is one of the reasons of this artwork. Two years ago I was drugged and sexually abused. The spiritual consequences of the mental battle I had to deal with put me in a very dark place that made me feel chained, as depicted in the first two pictures. However, since day one after it happened, I never doubted that God was with me through the entire battle I faced. And of course, just like in the third picture, I was able to win the battle through Christ.

How it fits into contest

The Spiritual Battle found in Ephesians 6:10-20 is reflected through the trilogy as a whole. There is a cadence of the process that is considered in the passage. I meant to portray the connection between the message of the Scripture and the spiritual battle related to mental illnesses/disorders. Every picture narrates the entire essence of Ephesians 6:10-20. The Armor of God described is symbolized through the light in each photograph. Although what dominates in the trilogy are the shadows and darkness, representing of course the spiritual forces of evil, the light (the armor) is always there.

The trilogy narrates a battle from beginning to end. Even though in the first picture the woman is on the floor and facing down with her hand ''chained'', in the second one she is kneeling and starting to stand up with light on her feet. The second picture shows the ''middle'' of the struggle between evil and good. And finally in the third one, she is clearly not defeated or chained anymore, but free, smiling and stading firm in the middle of the light hanging on to God, who protected her the entire time and never left her side. She is still dressed in black and with shadows around her, because spiritual battles never stop, we all have them on a daily basis. However, when you are conviced that God exists, and remember that you have the weapons and the proper protection to fight evil, you will win the battle agains the devil´s schemes.

Credits

Fernando Vega: Photographer, Executive Producer, Editor, and Lighting Technician

Catarina Calderón: Model and Creative Director

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