Christopher Martin’s God Has Not Promised… (2025, Mixed Media Sculpture) reflects his continued exploration of language as both spiritual affirmation and sculptural object.

The piece presents a white rectangular panel, pierced through by a black arrow, with bold black lettering spelling out: “GOD HAS NOT PROMISED SUN WITHOUT RAIN PEACE WITHOUT PAIN.” The statement reads as both caution and comfort, acknowledging the inevitability of struggle while affirming resilience as an essential part of existence.

The arrow transforms the text into something more than static language—it gives the message urgency and permanence, as if the words have been struck into place. This interplay between fragility (the pierced surface) and solidity (the stark black typography) mirrors the tension between suffering and hope contained in the phrase itself.

By using simple, universal words in a direct, block-letter format, Martin strips away ornament, offering a distilled meditation on life’s paradoxes. The religious undertone resonates not as dogma, but as a universal truth: growth comes with adversity, and joy is sharpened by the presence of struggle.

In God Has Not Promised…, Martin captures the essence of endurance, embedding wisdom into a sculptural form that is both poetic and confrontational. The work is a visual mantra—an acceptance of life’s dualities, where pain and peace are inseparable parts of the same human journey.

14.5in x 9.25in x 17in
Ink on Paper + Wood Arrow