Making Our Miracles is Live: Real Stories of Love, Healing, and Transformation Turned into Digital Art
Earlier this year, we published an open call for people around the world to anonymously submit their miracles — stories of love, healing, and unexplainable events. Then, a group of digital artists used AI-assisted tools to interpret these extraordinary moments. The result is Making Our Miracles — a digital art exhibition celebrating the beauty of the unexplainable, now live as part of The Wrong Biennale.
Exhibition on view:
At The Wrong Biennale
November 1st, 2025 – March 31st, 2026
In Partnership with:
DeepAI
Curated by:
Cansu Waldron
Artists:
Clayton Campbell (Lead Artist)
Cari Ann Shim Sham*
Gzhenka’s Fun House
Vince Fraser
Stacie Ant
Lasergun Factory
Nick Campbell Destroys (Sound)
Location:
Online
Making our Miracles began with Clayton Campbell’s interest in traditional ex-voto painting, which he studied while living and working in New Mexico in the 1980s. Historically, ex-voto offerings are handmade devotional objects created by or for individuals who, upon experiencing a miracle, would make a vow and commemorate it visually. Ex-votos have provided people with a sense of refuge and hope, capturing moments of personal transformation and spiritual resilience.
Making our Miracles is a contemporary exploration of traditional devotional art. The project invited people to share their stories of transformation, miracles, and visionary epiphanies in our uncertain, rapidly shifting world. A cohort of international digital artists then responded to these stories, using AI assisted digital techniques to create unique contemporary digital artworks that reference the ex-voto tradition.
The exhibition, supported by Deep AI, is now presented as a group show at The Wrong Biennale in Digital Arts Blog’s pavilion. The overarching theme for this edition of The Wrong is AI, which is a significant part of each artist’s practice in Making Our Miracles.
Miracles & Digital Ex-Voto Artworks
“When our first child was born. In this day and age the father is taught a lot more about the birth process than my dad was, and is involved in it actively. So, I had all the info about what to do and how to participate, but one thing I was not prepared for was the immensity of the experience. It’s not unlike seeing countless photos and calendars of the grand canyon and then going there yourself and walking out on the rim of that extraordinary ten mile wide depression in the earth. This thing really, I just never, never or had imagined had any idea what it was really like, to see a human being arrive in the world. And it was miraculous, and the idea of that as a miracle was so profound and so special and truly unique, every birth is unique. The miracle of it was that it happened all of the time, it kind of destroyed my delusion, misconception, that miracles only happen once and basically, you know, they are mystic.”
Clayton Campbell
“I was 15. I grew up in a family where feelings were not discussed and there was not really any touching, hugging or expressions of love. As a gay boy, on Saturdays I would travel into the city and go to a park where I understood gay men would go to connect. After many Saturdays, I met a very handsome man who invited me to his apartment. He embraced me, held me and kissed me deeply. It went on from there and I felt enveloped in the love of an older man. It was something I had waited for all my young life. The relationship lasted as described for a year, the best year of my life. It was a miracle.”
Clayton Campbell
Clayton Campbell (still from video)
“I’d like to bring attention to the many small miracles that we experience fairly regularly. It’s all those moments of synchronicity that make us feel (or know) that we’re on the correct path and moving forward. It’s a feeling that we’ve escaped our naysayer and everything seems possible. I’ve also had the big ones where it seems like the whole Universe opens up to you and you are at one with it. As an artist, these moments can and do transfigure you. In fact, that experience could be seen as the real reason that we keep making art. We’re always trying to set the stage for that big feeling of connectedness with all there is.”
Cari Ann Shim Sham* (still from 3D artwork)
“I was going through a time in my life where I was feeling very lonely, and I wished for above all else to have a romantic love in my life. I talked to everyone close to me about it, I spent time walking by myself thinking about it, and I truly wished for it to come true. And then one sunny spring day I took a meandering walk through Williamsburg, zig zagging through different streets, and found myself passing a coffee shop. There was a girl sitting at a window seat facing out towards the street — I smiled at her, and she smiled back. That was almost three years ago, and now we are planning our wedding.”
Stacie Ant (still from video)
“During the pandemic, I faced both depression and physical illness, struggling through some of my darkest moments. Creating digital art became my sanctuary—a source of refuge and strength that not only helped me heal but also shaped my journey into becoming the artist I am today.”
Lasergun Factory (still from video)
“One day many years ago, I saw a hawk standing on the grass in our small backyard. It had caught a mourning dove that had come to our bird feeder and was slowly devouring it. I watched in horror, feeling implicated in the death of the poor little bird. My then 8-year old daughter came into the kitchen, took a long hard look at the unfolding situation, and said to me, “Mom, a hawk’s got to eat.” Those words are my miracle - I was thunderstruck by the child’s wisdom. Isn’t it miraculous that a child who probably couldn’t have named Charles Darwin, knew that it was a fact that a hawk needed to eat, too.”
Vince Fraser
“When I was 6 months pregnant with my second child, my Mom had minor surgery which turned into a nightmare. Within 24 hours she was septic, in an coma and on every form of life support. She was pronounced brain dead by three doctors and we made the horrific decision to pull the plug. Just hours before she woke up. After months of therapy she regained her strength, retired, as did my father and they went in to live a beautiful life.”
Vince Fraser
“I was standing in front of a conference room full of colleagues, delivering a presentation — just another neurosurgery symposium. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital bed.
Unbeknownst to me, a brain aneurysm had ruptured — a high-degree bleed, the kind that rarely leaves survivors. But fate, or something greater, placed me in the one room where I had the best chance of making it through. I collapsed in front of the country’s leading brain surgeons — experts who recognized the signs immediately and took action without hesitation. Within moments, they had me stabilized and on my way to the care I needed.
It wasn’t until I saw my own scans, fully healed, that I grasped just how close I had come to the edge. It could have happened anywhere. But it happened there, at the perfect place and time.
I am alive. I am healthy. I am here, telling this story. It was a miracle.”
Gzhenka's Fun House
“A few of us are in the outskirts of Vermont. The fog surrounds the pine trees as I come out of the outdoor sauna. I slowly walk towards my man and we first hear the owl and then she glides through us and lands on the tree in front of us. The moon is shining full and the time stops.”
Gzhenka's Fun House
“My studio in those days was in a very remote part of town, so you had to really make an effort to find it. I had been interviewed on public radio the day before the event and Kiki had heard me talk about my art practice and my studio. I had been divorced several years at this point and was very much looking for a new person to share my life with. When Kiki arrived I immediately found her appealing and she seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. We talked for about 10 minutes and she was smart as well as beautiful and committed to her art. As she was leaving I encouraged her to sign the guest book. She did and then bid farewell. I immediately looked to see who I was just talking to and was disappointed to find she had only left an address, no phone number or email. I was not going to be writing her a letter or turning up at her house so I wrote that one off. In that moment, I turned around and she was standing in front of me asking me for directions on how to get out of neighborhood and back to civilization. I gave her directions and then asked if she could leave a phone number or email in the guest book. She complied and waved good bye. A few days later I called her on the phone and we have been together ever since. Had she not come back and asked for directions it would never had happen.”
Lasergun Factory (still from video)
“It was a summer day, during a family holiday, when my son told us he was gay. He had carried the weight alone for so long, and finally, he couldn’t anymore. His father and I had no idea. It was twenty years ago — Turkey, Muslim, a society where even God was said not to accept him. That day changed everything.
I felt so many things at once; confusion, grief, anger, embarrassment. It felt like a death at first, like I had lost something I couldn’t name. But over time, those feelings gave way to something deeper: compassion, understanding, love.
I lost my faith in God during that time. If God couldn’t accept my son, I couldn’t believe in Him anymore. My son stood on one side, and the world on the other — and I had to choose. It wasn’t easy. Nothing was. But I chose my son.
Looking back now, I see that moment as a miracle. Because it transformed everything. My love for him grew deeper, truer. That summer, something hard and hidden became honest and open. That is its own kind of grace.”
Clayton Campbell
Clayton Campbell (still from video)
“Fifteen years ago, I saw a poster on my gym’s bulletin board about a Mountain Ararat expedition. Just the image of the summit pulled at something inside me. I never imagined I’d actually climb it — I only signed up for a few training treks, thinking it would be fun. Then I got the message: “You’ve been selected.” I thought it was a joke. Everyone else was young, athletic, experienced. I was 50, with knee and ankle issues, and no background in mountaineering. I honestly believed I was just going to help cook for the team. When I told my family, they were worried — it was late to start something like this. But I’ll never forget what the coach told me: “Don’t miss this experience. Maybe I won’t make it to the top, but maybe you will.” Thirteen of us began the climb. Only seven reached the summit. I was one of them. If life is a collection of experiences, Mt. Ararat is the most extraordinary piece in mine. I had no reason to believe I could do it — but I did. That’s what makes it a miracle.”
Stacie Ant (still from video)
“After giving birth to my second daughter, everything seemed to have gone well. However, 15 days later, while I was at home, I suffered a severe hemorrhage that took me to the hospital in an emergency. The doctors discovered that there were placental pieces that needed to be removed. I was admitted to the operating room for a cleaning that was expected to last only 30 minutes. But hours passed, and my husband was still waiting for news.
Suddenly, the room was filled with doctors running back and forth. They asked for authorization to transfer me by helicopter due to the severity of the hemorrhage, which wouldn’t stop, and the lack of blood for transfusions. My husband gave his consent. However, a snowstorm prevented the helicopter from taking off, and we had to wait another hour for the ambulance to arrive.
The doctors told my husband that I was at risk and that he should prepare for any outcome. Finally, they transferred me and managed to control the hemorrhage. I spent two days in a coma, fighting for my life. When I woke up, I realized the gravity of what had happened.
I hope my story gives a glimpse into the depth of bringing life into the world, even if it mean putting ones own life at risk. I designed these images in the hospital, and I am sharing them with you in the hopes that someone more experienced in digital art might be able to appreciate my ideas and perhaps even improve upon them. I am just a beginner emerging digital artist but Im eager to learn and grow.
When I woke up, I promised myself to do what I could laugh about, and I feel that through my art or others we can appreciate a little more the miracle of living.”
Clayton Campbell
“It began with a single leaf. Late morning, still and windless, I approached my studio and saw it—perfectly placed at the threshold. Vibrant orange, tinged with red, it pulsed with a quiet energy, as if it had something to say. I picked it up, immediately aware it didn’t match any nearby trees. I searched the surrounding alleys—nothing. It was out of place, out of season, and yet undeniably present. Who could have left it? No one I knew. And still, it felt meant for me. A divine message. A gift.
I brought it into the studio and placed it where I could see it daily. This small, seemingly random encounter felt sacred, a gentle affirmation of presence and connection. That one leaf became a portal—inviting me into a new body of work centered on harmony, grace, and unseen forces that guide us.
What if every leaf were an altar? What if love—universal, eternal—could be witnessed in something so simple? For me, that leaf became a symbol of infinite good, a whisper that we are not alone, that beauty surrounds us when we choose to see it. This is the miracle. One leaf. One gesture. A profound reminder of divine love. This is a miracle.”
Cari Ann Shim Sham* (still from 3D artwork)
“A few years back, when I had just started meditating regularly, I decided to sit by the Caspian Sea on the first day of spring. I found a rock just a meter beyond the shore, sat down, and meditated for about 20 minutes. When I opened my eyes, the rock was suddenly surrounded by a bunch of fish. It blew my mind and made me realize how everything in the world is connected.”
Cari Ann Shim Sham* (still from 3D artwork)
Clayton Campbell
Stacie Ant
Lasergun Factory
Gzhenka's Fun House
“In the late ‘90s my grandmother died. That of course is no miracle, just a first encounter of a fact of life.
But her passing was from old age, a life well lived, and as such there was a heads up of sorts: a slow decline, a loss of facilities, a hospital, and eventually hospice. While she was in hospice my father and his three sisters were all there, as the nurses had given them the “it’s time to say goodbye.” Just after she passed they saw visibly a gaseous like essence rise and swirl above her, swirl faster and then fly off up through the ceiling and out into the great unknown. They all corroborate this story. We all came to learn it is called an astral body, and they are observed from time to time in moments of death.
While I was not there, I was at the time a teenager - a pretty skeptical and guarded one at that - and prone to an atheistic worldview… I still am, but it forever changed me… into the first adult realization that none of this is as it seems, and the longer we hang around the less sense it all makes…”
Clayton Campbell
Clayton Campbell
