By Janet Ekstract NEW YORK- The Venice Biennale 2024 received a special visit and a first for the contemporary art festival as Pope Francis became the very first Pope to visit The 87-year-old Pope Francis said “The world needs artists,” as he visited last weekend, stopping off at the prison on Giudecca Island in the Venetian lagoon, taken over by the Holy See for the duration of the eight-month-long biennale. What is unique about this biennale is that the prison courtyard is the site of a biennale art show curated by Chiara Parisi and Bruno Racine, entitled “Con I miei occhi” (With my eyes) that demonstrates the Pope’s concern for the outsiders in society – especially prisoners and includes works from several female artists as well as some prisoners. Francis greeted each of the 80 inmates in the prison courtyard. The prison walls are decorated with poetry written by some inmates, others acted in a short film by Italian director Marco Perego and his wife, American actress Zoe Saldana, star of the “Avatar” films.
Pope Francis speaking to the inmates in the courtyard said: “Paradoxically, a stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new…as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting.” He added “Let us not forget that we all have mistakes to be forgiven for and wounds to be healed – me too.” Later, in the prison chapel, the Pope met artists participating in the biennale and the Holy See pavilion. Pope Francis shared with them that their work can be healing in tackling racism, xenophobia, ecological “imbalance”, “fear of the poor” and inequality. Though the Vatican did have a pavilion at the biennale in 2013, it’s the first time a curated exhibition has taken place at a prison. The 2024 pavilion was commissioned by its culture office led by the Portuguese prelate, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, an award-winning poet. The goal of the pavilion, is to place visitors “directly in reality” the cardinal told the press.
