Some people look at my artwork and label me as anti-Christian or anti-religious, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I believe religion can be incredibly useful for individuals who might feel lonely or trapped in unhealthy lifestyles. I have nothing against practicing good morals or finding ways to bring peace and compassion into one’s life. However, I do have a problem when a religion seeks to conquer the world like a foe and rules over it like a tyrant.
We stopped traveling abroad around 2012 when my partner and I decided to become parents. During my time at home with a tiny baby, I began paying more attention to the news and social media. What I saw was a landscape filled with fear, anger, and fierce patriotism intertwined with Christian beliefs. I’ve always admired the comedian Bill Hicks, and something he once said came to mind as I observed what my country was becoming:
“The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, and close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see us all as one.”
There’s more to that quote, but that particular part stuck with me. As a traveler, I’ve never feared the world or the myriad cultural and religious differences among humanity. I never believed that everyone had to share the same beliefs or that there was only one right way to exist on this earth. When I started noticing an increasingly aggressive divide between what we now call conservatives and liberals, it upset me. I had hoped that, by this point in time, we would be more unified and accepting of our differences. I felt uneasy raising a daughter in a world that seemed to be closing itself off and potentially stripping away her rights. It troubled me to think that Christian values could dictate the rights of all people.
So, I rebelled.
I found a book titled *The Revolt of the Angels* by Anatole France. In this fictional story, a small group of earthbound angels who pose as artists decide to wage war against God and the heavens after the archbishop’s guardian angel begins reading books on art, philosophy, and science. The angels believe God is a cruel tyrant who must be overthrown for humanity's sake. They ask Satan to initiate a revolution, but “spoiler alert”—after an unsettling dream, Satan realizes that if they overthrew God, he would eventually become just as tyrannical as the God he sought to destroy. Nobody wins in this scenario; we must overcome our own jealousy, fear, superstition, and ignorance to cultivate compassion, wisdom, and curiosity. Victory lies in the spirit, and it is within ourselves alone that we can rise above the constraints of a tyrannical God.
After reading this book, I began channeling my artwork into the theme of fallen angels rebelling against a controlling, jealous God. My goal was to focus on experiencing empathy not through worship and prayer to a higher power, but by feeling it within oneself. The love of goodness doesn’t stem from a love of God. In some of my art, I aimed to portray these ideas by making it appear wrong or rebellious to experience compassion as a godless being.
This series has been an interesting journey for me, and I’ve received a range of reactions from viewers. While I mostly receive praise, there are always a couple of individuals who react with fear or anger at what they see, and I understand why. It’s easy to cling to superstitious and horror-themed ideologies that paint godless individuals as purely evil and cruel. No side is perfect; both the followers of God and the non-followers have made mistakes and are guilty of cruelty. I believe we can only do what is right for ourselves, and I hope everyone respects that religion is a personal choice. Not everyone will want to follow the same path.
I often get called a rebel, an outcast, or sometimes a weirdo for feeling this way, but I’m okay with it.
-image below is a combination of a woodcut and mono print I made titled, The Eternal Rebel. Completed March 2024
