Vatican Pavilion at the Venice Biennale continues its journey
The Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education presents the events and initiatives underway at the Holy See Pavilion at the Giudecca Women’s Prison in Venice, including the publication of a catalogue and the screening of a short film.
By Vatican News
The Holy See Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition – The Venice Biennale continues its exhibitions, workshops and visits to the city’s Giudecca women’s prison with new events until November 24.
Entitled “With My Own Eyes,” the Pavilion is dedicated to the theme of human rights and people living on the margins of society, and seeks to draw the world’s attention to these largely ignored individuals while fostering a culture of encounter. The unique context allows for the interweaving of artistic experiences with the daily lives of prisoners, providing a space for expression and dialogue through internal workshops and guided tours open to the public.
Since its official opening on April 20, the eight artists involved in the project (Maurizio Cattelan, Claire Fontaine, Bintou Dembélé, Simone Fattal, Sonia Gomes, Marco Perego and Zoe Saldana, Claire Tabouret, and with the collaboration of the Corita Art Center) and the prisoners, supported by the curators, educators and prison guards, have carried out a series of workshops that dialogue and complete the exhibition (free guided tours for the public continue every day, except Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6 a.m., and reservations are required at least 48 hours in advance).
A catalog to be published in September
An integral part of this multifaceted project, the catalogue, edited by curators Chiara Parisi and Bruno Racine and published by Marsilio Arte, will be officially presented on 10 September at the Galleries of Italy of the Intesa Sanpaolo bank in Milan, and will be distributed in bookstores and online on the Marsilio Arte website from 6 September at a price of 35 euros.
Under the artistic direction of Irma Boom, the catalogue is both a memory of the project and an in-depth analysis of the work carried out by the curators, highlighting the active dialogue established between the eight artists involved and the inmates of the Giudecca women’s prison.
The book opens with a preface by Pope Francis and includes a contribution by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonya, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education, and an introduction by Giovanni Bazoli, chairman emeritus of the Intesa Sanpaolo bank.
The catalogue then delves into the project with testimonies from the artists involved, Olivian Cha and Nellie Scott (of the Corita Art Center, Los Angeles), inmates and penitentiary staff.
The volume is enriched with a wide range of images, including photographs by Marco Cremascoli, which show the project’s detention center, and those by artist Juergen Teller, which capture Pope Francis’ historic visit to the Pavilion on April 28.
Workshops
The prisoners took part in several workshops, such as the one by the Claire Fontaine duo based on the Feldenkrais method to promote self-awareness in relation to the environment around them through movement.
The Corita Art Center in Los Angeles involved them in a series of events inspired by the methodology of the famous American artist-educator and former nun.
Articles written by prisoners for L’Osservatore di Strada
In addition, L’Osservatore di Strada, the periodical of the newspaper L’Osservatore Romano Vatican, has published a special edition in collaboration with Maurizio Cattelan with editorial content written by the inmates of La Giudecca prison (the supplement is available online).
In September, choreographer and dancer Bintou Dembélé will stage a new version of her “Rite of Passage – Solo II”, performed by dancer “Meech” Onomo.
Short Film Screening at the 81st Venice International Film Festival
Finally, on the occasion of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, on September 5, 2024, the Hotel Excelsior will host the screening of “Dovecote”, the moving short film produced by director Marco Perego and starring the famous actress Zoe Saldana.
Shot inside the penitentiary with the extraordinary and intense participation of the inmates as actresses, the short film immerses the viewer in an introspective journey, in search of the deepest meaning of freedom.
These workshops and dialogues with the inmates follow on from the activities that helped bring the Pavilion to life, such as the workshop with the inmates’ poems that enriched Simone Fattal’s work, or the residents’ personal photographs for Claire Tabouret’s workshop, which are still on display in the Pavilion.
Added to this is the training of inmates who become guides and narrators of the Pavilion, accompanying visitors with their unique and personal perspectives.
