Have you ever experienced something so extraordinary that it felt like the universe was reaching out to you? A moment of unexpected grace, an unexplainable turn of events, or a deep transformation that changed the course of your life? For centuries, people have tried to make sense of these moments through art, creating visual testaments to their miracles. One of the most enduring forms of this practice is the ex-voto painting — a tradition that spans cultures, faiths, and time itself.

*Ex-voto of the miracle done to Maria Gertrudis Castañeda, 1840, Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones, Mexico City, Mexico.*

What is an Ex-Voto?

The term ex-voto comes from the Latin ex voto suscepto, meaning "from the vow made." Since the first painted ex-votos in Italy in the 15th century, these refer to artworks, traditionally paintings or small plaques, created as offerings of gratitude for divine intervention. Someone prays for help during a crisis, a loved one miraculously recovers from an illness, or a disaster is narrowly avoided. In response, the person commissions or creates an ex-voto, depicting the event and giving thanks to the higher power they believe was responsible.

Ex-voto paintings are often deeply personal and visually striking. They typically feature a scene of the miraculous event, a written description of what happened, and religious imagery; such as a saint or deity watching over the moment. While we commonly associate ex-votos with Christianity, and most recently with Catholicism in Mexico and Italy, similar practices exist in many other cultures and religions.

ex-voto-des-trois-naufrages-de-levis-1754-fc0b1d — *Ex-voto Des Trois Naufrages de Levis, 1754.*

Ex-Votos Across Cultures

Though Christian ex-votos are the most widely recognized, the impulse to create art in response to miraculous experiences isn’t limited to one faith. In Hinduism, for example, people offer paintings or statues to temples after prayers are answered. In Buddhism, small plaques or painted scrolls are dedicated in gratitude for divine protection. Even outside religious traditions, we see echoes of ex-votos in the way people create and display symbols of gratitude — whether it’s through Tibetan prayer flags, Yoruba ritual art, or even modern-day votive candles.

This 11th/12th-century terracotta plaque is an example of a type of Buddhist ex-voto, presenting Buddha in the bhumisparsha mudra (earth-touching gesture). Plaques depicting this gesture are often associated with the shrine of Bodh Gaya in India.

Across all these traditions, ex-votos serve the same purpose: they are physical markers of something deeply personal and profound. They bridge the gap between the spiritual and the tangible, making the invisible forces of faith, fate, or the universe feel real.

*J. Gutiérrez, Ex-voto to Saint Francis of Paula, 1879, Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico.*

Why Bring Ex-Votos Into the 21st Century?

Despite their rich history, ex-voto paintings are often overlooked in contemporary art discussions. They’re seen as folk art, religious artifacts, or remnants of the past rather than evolving cultural expressions. But their themes; hope, gratitude, and the need to document life-changing experiences, are just as relevant today as they were centuries ago.

In our fast-paced digital world, moments of awe and personal transformation still happen. We still look for ways to express our gratitude and make sense of the unexplainable. But instead of commissioning oil paintings, we post them on social media, text about these miracles to our friends, or share our personal stories in online communities like Reddit. The question is: How is the votive tradition evolving in the way we express ourselves today in the international arena of digital art-making?

*Ex-voto to Saint Michael Archangel, 1912, Museo Nacional de las Culturas, Mexico City, Mexico.*

Ex-Votos and Votive Art in the Age of Technology

This is where digital art and artificial intelligence come in. Today, artists can use AI-assisted tools to interpret miracle stories in ways that weren’t possible before. Instead of relying solely on paint and canvas, they can generate compositions that bring together traditional iconography with futuristic aesthetics; design visuals that feel dreamlike, ethereal, or otherworldly; create moving images representing the divine intervention.

Bringing ex-votos into the digital space also makes them more accessible. Historically, ex-votos were tied to specific places like chapels, shrines, or temples. You had to visit them in person to experience their power. But in a digital format, they can reach global audiences, connecting people from different backgrounds who have all experienced their own versions of the miraculous.

*Frida Kahlo, Ex-voto to Our Lady of Sorrows, 1940.*

Making Our Miracles: A New Take on an Old Tradition

One project embracing this idea is Making Our Miracles, a digital art exhibition launching as part of The Wrong Biennale in November 2025. The exhibition, led by artist Clayton Campbell and curated by Digital Arts Blog founder Cansu Peker, reimagines the ex-voto tradition through a collaborative process involving storytellers, artists, and AI.

Here’s how it works: People from around the world are invited to anonymously submit their real-life miracle stories — moments of transformation, unexplainable events, or experiences of deep gratitude. These stories are then assigned to digital artists, who use AI as a creative tool to visually interpret them. The result is a collection of contemporary ex-votos: stunning digital artworks that preserve and share these personal moments in a way that feels both timeless and cutting-edge.

Lead Artist Clayton Campbell and participating artists Emi Kusano, Cari Ann Shim Sham, Gzhenka’s Fun House, Stacie Ant, Vince Fraser, and Lasergun Factory will transform personal testimonies into visual narratives that blur the lines between human creativity and machine-assisted imagination.

By reinterpreting contemporary ex-voto narratives for the digital age, Making Our Miracles bridges past and future, tradition and innovation. It reminds us that, no matter the medium, art remains one of our most powerful tools for making sense of the world.

*Ex Voto - Miracle Story # 1 by Clayton Campbell*

The Future of Ex-Votos

What does the future hold for this reimagined tradition? Could AI-generated ex-votos become a new way for people to process and share their own miraculous moments? Will digital archives of these works serve as modern-day shrines, where people can gather and reflect on experiences of grace and transformation?

Whatever the answers may be, one thing is clear: the human need to express wonder, gratitude, and faith isn’t going away. Whether through brushstrokes on a chapel wall or pixels on a screen, ex-votos, like miracles themselves, will continue to find new forms, evolving with us as we move through the world.

So, if you’ve ever experienced a moment of unexpected grace, consider sharing your story. Your miracle could become part of a new chapter in this centuries-old tradition, inspiring others and reminding us all that, even in the digital age, the extraordinary is still all around us.