Carlos Vega is a painter inspired by history, mythology, and religion, which he uses as a point of departure to explore questions around humanity. His work often incorporates historical documents such as antique ledgers, typed cards from library catalogs, postage stamps, newspapers, and labels into paintings on canvas and sometimes lead, which he then punctures, etches, and paints over. In Patmos (2020), Vega takes inspiration from a specific moment in Catholicism. Titled after the island that inspired St. John to draft the Book of Revelation, the cryptic image of a nude reading a book pays homage to this religious history. Ultimately, the work recalls the artist’s assertion, “I don’t want to be a saint, but I want to get to the point of fulfilling my destiny. I want to bring up the subject of the soul. We are destined for greatness, too. Right here, right now, we don’t have to go through metamorphosis, we can be great at any time.”