ASHLEY SOTO CARAZA
This painting is inspired by a Spanish medieval manuscript called 'las Cantigas.' In this manuscript a nun prays about running off with her lover and is slapped by Christ who manifested from a crucifix. First, I laughed because it's ridiculous, but afterwards I contemplated just how far the catholic church has gone to vilify women. It's absurd, like a woman slapping Jesus. [Mother Teresa (left) represents the only kind of woman the church views as acceptable.]
This image is about never feeling prepared. It is about a moment where a threat comes from the most unexpected person, time, and place. Harsh realities are presented to us all everyday on the news, but we never really feel it. We sympathize for a moment and move on. We never truly contemplate how such things may happen to us. This image is about when the illusion of safety shatters and one is left to understand that no one is immune to the atrocities mankind perpetrates on one another.