Margherita Moscardini's 'The Continuous Service' at Gian Marco Casini Gallery
Margherita Moscardini's exhibition 'The Continuous Service' at Gian Marco Casini Gallery in Livorno reenacts the Bethel Chapel in The Hague, where a continuous prayer service from October 26, 2018, onward prevented the deportation of the Tamrazyan family, Armenian political dissidents. The centerpiece is a 500-square-meter carpet, equal to the chapel's floor area, which, when unrolled, becomes a consecrated space for worship, recognized by the Protestant Church of The Hague. A video installation shows left hands reciting 'Qui e ora' in various languages, echoing the non-stop ritual. The work explores fluid time, the fragment, and the power of continuous ritual to alter legal outcomes.
Key facts
- Margherita Moscardini (born 1981 in Donoratico) is the artist.
- The exhibition is at Gian Marco Casini Gallery in Livorno.
- The work references Bethel Chapel in The Hague, Netherlands.
- The Tamrazyan family (Armenian, five members) sought asylum in the Netherlands since 2010.
- Their asylum request was denied in 2018, leading them to take refuge in Bethel Chapel.
- Pastor Theo Hettema and church board led by Derk Stegeman initiated a continuous prayer service starting October 26, 2018, at 1:30 AM.
- Dutch law prohibits authorities from interrupting a religious service.
- Over a thousand ministers from various denominations worldwide participated in the non-stop service.
- The prayer service led to the Dutch government granting citizenship to the Tamrazyan family.
- The exhibition includes a 500-square-meter carpet and a video installation of left hands reciting 'Qui e ora'.
- The carpet, when unrolled, is recognized as a consecrated space for worship by the Protestant Church of The Hague.
Entities
Artists
- Margherita Moscardini
Institutions
- Gian Marco Casini Gallery
- Bethel Chapel
- Protestant Church of The Hague
Locations
- Livorno
- Italy
- Donoratico
- The Hague
- Netherlands
- Katwijk
- Paesi Bassi