Christoph Büchel to Convert Venice Church into First Mosque for Biennale

For the 2015 Venice Biennale, Swiss artist Christoph Büchel will transform the deconsecrated church of Santa Maria della Misericordia in Cannaregio into a fully functional mosque, marking the first Islamic place of worship in the historic city of Venice. Büchel, born in Basel in 1966 and a naturalized Icelandic citizen, was selected to represent Iceland, his adopted country, in the Biennale. Known for provocative works critiquing capitalism, globalization, and American hegemony, he has won the Hugo Boss Prize. The project, developed in collaboration with the local Muslim community and Icelandic imams, will include liturgical spaces and cultural-educational programs. Venice, despite having a significant Muslim population, has never had a mosque; Muslims currently gather in Marghera. The initiative revives a 2014 proposal by a Saudi prince to build a mosque in Venice, which faced right-wing opposition and incidents of intolerance, including vandalism at the Marghera Islamic center in November 2014. The installation aims to address tensions around terrorism, borders, and migration in European societies.