VENICE, Italy (AP) — A pair of nude feet — dirty, wounded and vulnerable — are painted on the façade of the Venice women’s prison chapel, the work of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and part of the Vatican’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale contemporary art show in an innovative collaboration between inmates and artists.
That Cattelan is the lead artist is striking, given that his provocative life-size was figure of Pope John Paul II lying on his side, crushed by a massive meteorite, shocked Catholics when it was displayed at the 2001 Biennale. The new work, titled “Father,” is considered a thematic counterpoint to a performance piece he produced for the 1999 Biennale titled “Mother,” during which a religious ascetic was buried under sand, with only his hands clasped in prayer showing.
The Vatican’s culture minister, Cardinal Jose Tolentino de Mendonca, praised the work, which he noted recalled the naked, dirty feet of Caravaggio’s saints, while also being highly symbolic of the journey behind the Holy See’s pavilion, showing “the desire to dirty one’s feet, to show that whoever has feet has a carnality.’’
China sees nearly 119 mln domestic tourist trips during Qingming holiday
Police declare Sydney church stabbing a terror attack 'motivated by religious extremism'
Tommy Fury heads out in his £180,000 Mercedes G Wagon for a haircut after his fiancé Molly
Royals catcher Salvador Perez sidelined by mild groin strain
Sabalenka to face good friend Badosa in Stuttgart opener
Sports betting roundup: Scottie Scheffler was a popular pick at the Masters, and then he won
Jenna Bush Hager reveals her eight
Buffalo, New York: Remains of missing 12
Kelly Clarkson, 41, rocks a little black dress highlighting her 40
Over 11 million Chinese people benefit from major disease insurance