Vatican
City, 14 May 2013
(VIS) – This year, for the first time, the Holy See will
participate in the Venice Biennale (1 June – 24 November)with a
pavilion inspired by the Biblical story of Genesis, entitled “In
the Beginning”. The name was chosen by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi,
president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, who, in line with
his dicastery's mission, is seeking meeting points to stimulate the
Church's dialogue with contemporary culture.
The
first eleven chapters of Genesis are the starting point for the Holy
See's pavilion, which is being coordinated by the director of the
Vatican Museums, Antonio Paolucci. Beginning from three thematic
areas, which have been entrusted to three different artists, the
viewer is invited to enter into the first book of the Bible and to
discover the journeys that begin therein; Creation, Uncreation, and
Re-Creation.
This
morning in the Holy See's Press Office, Cardinal Ravasi, the director
of the Vatican Museums, and the president of the Biennale, Paolo
Baratta, presented the event.
“The
Pontifical Council for Culture,” began Cardinal Ravasi, “holds
contemporary art at the heart of its interests for it is one of the
most important cultural expressions of recent decades.” Genesis,
the theme of the Holy See's pavilion, “is fundamental for culture
and for Church tradition. It is also a source of inspiration for many
whose works that have left a mark on the history of art: the story
told in the Book of Genesis. Specifically, the first eleven chapters
have been chosen, as they are dedicated to the mystery of man’s
origins, the introduction of evil into history, and our hope and
future projects after the devastation symbolically represented by the
Flood. Wide-ranging discussions on the multiplicity of the themes
offered by this inexhaustible source led to three thematic areas
being chosen ...”
“The
theme of Creation,” the cardinal continued, “concentrates on the
first part of the biblical narrative, when the creative act is
introduced through the Word and the breath of the Holy Spirit,
generating a temporal and spatial dimension, and all forms of life
including human beings. Uncreation, on the other hand, invites us to
focus on the choice of going against God’s original plan through
forms of ethical and material destruction, such as original sin and
the first murder, inviting us to reflect on the 'inhumanity of man'.
The ensuing violence and disharmony trigger a new start for humanity,
which begins with the punitive/purifying event of the Flood. In this
biblical story, the concept of the voyage, and the themes of seeking
and hope, represented by the figure of Noah and his family and then
by Abraham and his progeny, eventually lead to the designation of a
New Man and a renewed creation, where a profound internal change
gives new meaning and vitality to existence.”
The
director of the Vatican Museums then spoke of the artists who are
illustrating the three themes. “The theme of Creation was entrusted
to Studio Azzurro, which places the immaterial image, light, sound,
and sensory stimuli at the centre of their artistic investigation...
Their work triggers a dialogue, awash with echoes and reverberations,
between the vegetable and animal kingdoms and the human dimension,
which leads, via memory, to other personal narrations on the concept
of origins within an interactive plane that is also a temporal
intersection.” The photographer Josef Koudelka is responsible for
Uncreation. The power of his panoramic, black and white, speaks of
the opposition between the human being and the world with its
laws—moral and natural—and the material destruction that comes
from a loss of a moral sense. Re-Creation was entrusted to the artist
Lawrence Carroll, who is capable of giving life to salvaged
materials, transfiguring them through processes of reconsideration
and regeneration and who, against all odds, opens new possibilities
of coexistence between as seemingly unrelated dimensions as fragility
and monumentality.
“The
Holy See's presence, for the first time, among the pavilions of the
Venice Biennale,” concluded Paolo Baratta, “is an event of great
importance and as such is hailed by the world of art and culture.
This decision is a confirmation of the significance of the Biennale
as a platform for exchange and dialogue. … This 55th edition of the
International Art Exhibition is ... an exhibition-research. Over the
years, the mixed fortunes of contemporary art have witnessed artists
express ideas and make declarations that required a form and
conversely, artists create forms that demanded reflection. Yet it has
always placed humankind and its doubts at the forefront, seeking
the actively engaged viewer rather than the passive consumer. From
this point of view, the renewed attention of the Holy See at this
time seems extremely important.”
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