Church Plans Art Pavilion at Biennale
By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: May 14, 2013
VATICAN CITY — It commissioned the Sistine Chapel, countless portraits of popes and even Matisse’s chapel in Vence, France. Now the Roman Catholic Church will sponsor its first pavilion at the Venice Biennale, featuring the Czech photographer Josef Koudelka, the Milan-based multimedia group Studio Azzurro and the artist Lawrence Carroll.
The Vatican’s presence at the Biennale is the brainchild of Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, an exuberant polymath who as president of the Pontifical Council for Culture since 2009 has tried to build bridges between the church and contemporary culture, two worlds that have often clashed.
Rather than requiring the artists to create liturgical art, Cardinal Ravasi said he had asked them to explore the theme of “Creation, De-Creation and Re-Creation” for the 55th edition of the international art exhibition, which opens on June 1 and includes pavilions from more than 80 countries.
“We want to create an atmosphere of dialogue between art and faith,” Cardinal Ravasi said at a news conference on Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/arts/design/roman-catholic-church-hosts-its-first-pavilion-at-venice-biennale.html?_r=0
One photo by Josef Koudelka.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Prague. August 1968. Warsaw Pact troops invade Prague. In front of the Radio Headquarters.
http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL535C7T