Venetian authorities maintain that Iceland’s controversial contribution to the Venice Biennale is in fact, not art. According to the National Broadcasting Service, the Icelandic Art Centre continues its fight to have the Icelandic pavilion reopened.
Read more: Hope to have the Icelandic installation at the Venice Biennale reopened
“I find it interesting that local police officials bring it upon themselves to determine what is and isn’t art,” says Björg Stefánsdóttir, the Icelandic Art Centre’s director.
Read more: Iceland’s contribution to the Venice Biennale considered a security threat
The installation was closed by local authorities on the 22nd of May as they claimed the artist Christoph Büchel broke the law by the use of the venue for religious activities. The installation, called The Mosque: First Mosque in the Historic City of Venice, was located in a former Catholic church. It was done in collaboration with Icelandic and Venetian Muslim communities and was to serve as a place of activity for the local Muslim community and include educational programmes for the public.
Behind the Biennale: “The Mosque” from Artsy on Vimeo.
Venetian authorities maintain that Iceland’s controversial contribution to the Venice Biennale is in fact, not art. According to the National Broadcasting Service, the Icelandic Art Centre continues its fight to have the Icelandic pavilion reopened.
Read more: Hope to have the Icelandic installation at the Venice Biennale reopened
“I find it interesting that local police officials bring it upon themselves to determine what is and isn’t art,” says Björg Stefánsdóttir, the Icelandic Art Centre’s director.
Read more: Iceland’s contribution to the Venice Biennale considered a security threat
The installation was closed by local authorities on the 22nd of May as they claimed the artist Christoph Büchel broke the law by the use of the venue for religious activities. The installation, called The Mosque: First Mosque in the Historic City of Venice, was located in a former Catholic church. It was done in collaboration with Icelandic and Venetian Muslim communities and was to serve as a place of activity for the local Muslim community and include educational programmes for the public.
Behind the Biennale: “The Mosque” from Artsy on Vimeo.
