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At the end of May, 16-year-old Josue Benjamin Figueroa revealed his 20-foot sculpture of the legendary Venezuelan doctor Blessed Jose Gregorio Hernandez, an iconic figure in many South American countries who will be canonized along with seven other Blesseds on World Mission Sunday, October 19. Another of the group is the first Venezuelan woman to be canonized, while Blessed Gregorio is the first Venezuelan man.
The completed statue was a fulfillment of the promise the artist made on Instagram on Holy Thursday, "to create the largest statue of Blessed Jose Gregorio Hernandez in the world" -- a reel of his work went viral, receiving over 71k shares.
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This is not the first time the young sculptor -- who boasts 1.5 M followers on Instagram -- has turned heads for sharing his prodigious talent with his countrymen.
He is the star of his own local Nickelodeon TV Show, El Taller de Josue (Josue's Workshop). And last year, he unveiled a 20-foot statue of St. Augustine that sits at the entrance of his hometown Guarara (to join his sculptures of St. Monica, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus, and St. Anthony of Padua already carefully placed around his city).
Figueroa spoke about his artwork recently on ElSigloTV:
"For me, creating sculptures, creating works of art means everything," Figueroa explained. "My life would not be the same if I didn't have Play Doh in my hands or if I couldn't create. I feel like I discovered what I was made for at a very young age, and I thank God for that."
Figueroa's reference to Play Doh was no slip of the tongue. In a recent piece at Zenit News, he recalled how his passion for sculpting began at the age of 4 when his father handed him the kid-friendly, non-toxic modeling clay so he could create the toys his family could not afford.
A role model
Since that day, he hasn't stopped sculpting, and his parents and two sisters, who are regularly shown on his Instagram posts, are obviously a huge source of support.
Figueroa has also become a role model in his community:
“I thank God for giving me the ability to create sculptures for my country and to inspire many young people. I hope that every child and young person who sees [my art] feels motivated to be consistent, disciplined, and to work with love,” he said.
While Figueroa still works with Play Doh and other types of modeling clay, he's branched out to mediums such as resin reinforced with fiberglass. His statues of St. Augustine and Blessed Jose Gregorio Hernandez were made with polymer clay molded on top of internal metal structures.
Blessed Jose Gregorio Hernandez was a 19th-century physician who is beloved by many for modernizing medicine in Venezuela and for his unwavering commitment to treat the poorest of the poor, often forgoing pay in order to care for patients.
When listening to the young artist who has so remarkably captured the likeness of this iconic doctor, it's easy to imagine the artist and the saint share a similar view of the world:
“We’re just instruments of God," Figueroa told OSV News recently." He is the one who allows us to be tools for his will to be fulfilled.”
