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's HYX renews contract with IOC as formal uniform supplier
Across China: Tourism Rejuvenates Ancient Korean Ethnic Folk Village
Tennessee lawmakers approve $52.8B spending plan as hopes of school voucher agreement flounder
Gains Made in Reducing School Stress
Temporary Teaching Sites Start Classes in Jishishan
Travis Kelce's favorite songs on Taylor Swift's new album REVEALED
Daughter Travels 1,600 Km to Pick up Mother for Reunion
Thailand urges Myanmar’s junta to free Aung San Suu Kyi — Radio Free Asia
Xinjiang's Urumqi Sees Record Number of Tourists in 2023