The Vatican has announced Maurizio Cattelan will create a large outdoor installation for the Vatican’s Venice Biennale presentation. There will also be a multimedia installation situated within Venice’s women’s prison, crafted through the collaborative efforts of inmates and artists, and accessible to the public under stringent security measures.
The exhibition includes works by eight artists and will be installed at the Giudecca Women’s Prison. Many of the works will be created with the active participation of inmates. Renowned for his satirical hyper-realistic sculptures, Cattelan stirred controversy among Catholics with his provocative piece “The Ninth Hour (La Nona Ora).” This artwork, which depicted a life-sized wax effigy of Pope John Paul II lying on his side, crushed by a colossal black meteorite, caused a sensation as it toured various venues, including the 2001 Biennale. In a departure from his previous work, the Italian artist’s latest creation will be installed on the exterior of the prison.
Anticipation surrounds Pope Francis’s scheduled visit to the Holy See pavilion, titled “With My Eyes,” on April 28, marking a historic moment as the first pontiff to attend the Biennale. This year’s event, orchestrated by a Latin American curator and themed “Foreigners Everywhere,” promises a fresh perspective.
While the Holy See has previously engaged in the art and architecture Biennales, officials emphasized the unprecedented nature of this year’s Vatican pavilion during Monday’s unveiling. Notably, Italian judicial authorities granted exceptional permission for Vatican curators to stage the exhibit within the Giudecca prison, enabling the involvement of inmates in the creative process.
