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.’’
Production base of China's large civil unmanned aerial vehicle Wing Loong in Sichuan
China prepares to launch Tianzhou
Unfazed by danger and power, Guatemalan cardinal keeps up fight for migrants and the poor
EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: How Pippa Middleton revealed Kate's secret chutney recipe
Cultural exchange activities on BRICS cooperation held in South Africa
Unfazed by danger and power, Guatemalan cardinal keeps up fight for migrants and the poor
China yields remarkable outcomes of sci
San Francisco sues Oakland over new airport name that includes 'San Francisco'
China accelerates building of new quality productive forces
Giants may consider QB in NFL draft as Daniel Jones recovers from ACL injury
Multiple glass materials discovered in Chang'e