A deconsecrated church in Cannaregio, Santa Maria della Misercordia, has been transformed into a fully-functioning mosque by the Swiss artist Christoph Büchel. The project is Iceland’s official contribution to the biennale. The building will function as a mosque for the entire seven-month run of the exhibition.
The press of the Middle East and indeed Bangladesh was present, as well as ambassadors of Iceland and various Arab countries. This was no ordinary art event. Until the end of the Biennale the Muslims of Venice's historic centre will have a real functioning mosque with mihrab and minbar. Beautiful speeches were made by representatives of Islam, including one from the Magreb and another from Iceland, who was an Icelander himself and converted to Islam in Pakistan in the 1970s when he was a hippy (his mother said to him at the time: “At least you won’t succumb to the national disease that is alcoholism”). The Imam emphasised that God is God regardless of whether he is called God, Yaweh or Allah. Great hope was expressed for harmony and peace among peoples. Present also was a Saudi cleric, and the question is whether the kind of Islam that will be preached here is the tolerant Islam of the Magreb or the hardline Wahabi version of the Arabian peninsula. One of the Imams said how sad it was that this would only last the duration of the Biennale.
This is clearly more than just a work of art; this is something that means a great deal to a great portion of society in Northern Italy and this raises the question of whether it is entirely fair to create something as a temporary work of art when its implications are so much more serious. There were no representatives of the city council or the Catholic Church present at the opening.
Despite Venice’s centuries of trade with the East, the city has never permitted a mosque to be built in its historic centre (there are several on the mainland) although in the 17th century a Muslim prayer room opened in a 13th-century palazzo on the Fondaco dei Turchi. It is estimated that there are 15,000-20,000 Muslims in the greater Venice area (mainland and city).
