Via Dolorosa Collection
VIA DOLOROSA (The Path of Suffering)
Artist: Rares-Rica Raita
Medium: Acrylic pouring on canvas
Year: 2026
In this nine-part collection, Raita reframes the traditional stations of spiritual trial through a contemporary abstract lens. Marking a major milestone in their career, every work in the Via Dolorosa collection is uniformly executed on an 80x60 cm canvas. This precise dimension holds deep personal significance for the artist, mathematically mirroring their birth year of 1986. Created in 2026, the uniform sizing serves as a profound celebration of Raita turning 40 years old— anchoring a highly universal, spiritual narrative within the exact physical coordinates of the artist's own lifetime timeline. By manipulating the physical properties of paint, the artist translates historical and biblical concepts into visceral visual landscapes where universal truths are brought to the surface. Characterized by a dramatic use of deep color gradients, and raw structural interventions, Raita's work captures the delicate balance between structural order and chaotic spontaneity. The series moves chronologically through the anatomy of a struggle: from the primordial ignition of conflict (Parabellum), through ancestral duty, hubris, and internal doubt, to final mortality and transcendence. The collection is intentionally disrupted by structural and spatial choices. Rebellio, the only horizontal piece (60x80cm), physically breaks the vertical narrative flow to mirror the cosmic discord of its theme. The final work, Remissio, breaks the boundary between two-dimensional painting and sculpture by incorporating a physical nail hammered through the canvas into the wooden frame. Ultimately, Via Dolorosa is not merely an illustration of historical suffering, but a modern visual journey exploring how pressure, pain, and eventual forgiveness reshape the human soul.
Parabellum (Prepare for Battle)
Date: 14 March 2026 | Orientation: Vertical
Dimensions : 80x60cm
Concept: This piece captures the genesis of struggle, bridging the biblical command of creation—"Let there be light"—with the cosmic ignition of the Big Bang. It frames life as an immediate battlefield for survival from the moment of conception. The metallic gold and copper frame serves as a dualistic boundary, symbolising the eternal dichotomy between Heaven and Hell.
Arbore Familia (Family Tree)
Date: 07 April 2026 | Orientation: Vertical
Dimensions: 80x60cm
Concept: A visual testament to ancestral legacy and biological endurance. The fluid forms underscore the weight of bloodlines, asserting that every individual's history possesses royal significance. It serves as an emotional and spiritual plea for resilience, urging the viewer to protect and carry forward their lineage rather than severing it in moments of profound despair.
Oculum Pro Oculo (An Eye for an Eye)
Date: 15 April 2026 | Orientation: Vertical
Dimensions: 80x60cm
Concept: Drawing directly from Exodus 21:24 , this work explores universal equilibrium and divine justice over human revenge. The integration of structural acrylic eyes invokes the Ophanim—the multi-eyed angelic wheels of biblical lore—transforming the canvas into a locus of supreme knowledge, wisdom, and cosmic vigilance.
Sanguis Margaritae (Blood Pearls)
Date: 23 April 2026 | Orientation: Vertical
Dimensions: 80x60cm
Concept: A striking critique of human avarice, greed, and material lust. Mirroring the deceptive allure of Pandora’s box, the composition features stark crimson "pearls" that rupture the surface to symbolise the inevitable sin, suffering, and sorrow born from the ruthless pursuit of wealth.
Rebellio (Rebellion)
Date: 01 May 2026 | Orientation: Horizontal
Dimensions: 60x80cm
Concept: Acting as the conceptual and structural anchor of the entire collection, this painting intentionally disrupts the established status quo. While the other works utilize a vertical axis with centralized flow, Rebellio shifts to a horizontal orientation, using sweeping, wave-like movements from celestial gold and white into heavy reds and earth tones. It captures the archetypal fall of Lucifer and the hubris of historical rulers who proclaimed themselves deities.
Poena Ferrum (Iron Punishment)
Date: 01 May 2026 | Orientation: Vertical
Dimensions: 80x60cm
Concept: This piece examines the paradox of faith and internal decay. Though faith can be as unyielding as iron against external forces, the painting illustrates how it is most vulnerable to internal erosion. Through textured gradients, it visualises the slow, corrosive nature of doubt—showing how spiritual certainty rusts away from within, day by day.
Memento Mori (Remember You Will Die)
Date: 09 May 2026 | Orientation: Vertical
Dimensions: 80x60cm
Concept: A profound meditation on mortality and finality. Utilizing a deep black ground interwoven with ethereal shades of violet and purple, the work captures the sublime, dark beauty of death. It invites the viewer into a space of radical acceptance, reframing the end of earthly life not as a void to be feared, but as a transition.
Judicium Divinum (Divine Judgement)
Date: 09 May 2026 | Orientation: Vertical
Dimensions: 80x60cm
Concept: A highly dynamic, binary composition depicting the eternal tug-of-war between transcendental forces. The canvas is visibly fractured into two opposing halves, capturing a tense, perpetual clash as light and dark strive to overtake one another in the theatre of ultimate cosmic judgment.
Remissio (Forgiveness of Sin)
Date: 17 May 2026 | Orientation: Vertical
Dimensions: 80x60cm
Concept: The definitive culmination of the collection, centering on the ultimate sacrifice of the crucifixion. The piece features a physical nail driven directly through the canvas into the rear wooden stretcher bars, grounding the abstract fluid paint in a brutal, tactile reality. Gilded entirely in gold to represent the opening of heavenly gates, the painting possesses an interactive dimension: when backlit, hidden translucent layers illuminate, simulating purifying flames that visually burn away sin.