RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory Disney-Britton

The installation titled "The Mosque" opened this week at the Venice Biennale, and it has people talking. Created by the Icelandic artist Christoph Büchel, it houses the main icons of Islam – the qibla wall, mihrab, the minbar and a large prayer rug pointing in the direction of Mecca. Located inside a former Catholic church, it is the first mosque in the historic center of Venice. Because art should promote dialogue, that makes Christoph Büchel's "The Mosque" (above) my NEWS OF WEEK.

In other religious art news from across the USA, and around the world:

• Buddhist Art of Week: 1,500-year-old Buddha head to be returned [More News]
• Christian Art of Week: Church closures birthed the Museum of Divine Statues [More News]
• Hindu Art of Week: Rubin Museum of Art's speedy response to Nepal disaster [More News]
• Islamic Art of Week: Mosque at Venice Biennale tests city’s tolerance for Islam [More News]
• Jewish Art of Week: "Orange Socks" is Rabbi Yitzchok Moully's self portrait [More News]

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