Prison hosts Vatican's Venice Biennale

A women's prison is the site of an immersive art show from the Vatican at the 60th Venice Biennale, an unlikely venue that its curator says is a "message in itself."

Away from the spotlight and the crowds of the prestigious international art fair, the former convent on the island of Giudecca in the Venetian lagoon home to the exhibit "With my Eyes," which considers the daily lives of the prisoners through the work of 10 different artists.now houses women serving long sentences.

But during this year's Biennale it is home to the exhibit "With my Eyes," which considers the daily lives of the prisoners through the work of 10 different artists.

Setting the tone on the exterior facade of the prison is an imposing painting of the soles of two bare feet with rough skin by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

"It was not a matter of turning the prison into a mundane exhibition space, but of engaging artists in artistic and relational work with female inmates," said Bruno Racine, the curator.

The invited artists were "united by a conscience of the context and a willingness to participate in a unique artistic and human experience," he said.

"We had to find a concept, a place that was a message in itself" for the Vatican's show.

Pope Francis, who has repeatedly championed the cause of prisoners and others on society's margins, plans to tour the exhibition during a visit to Venice on April 21.

Even gaining access to the show is part of the experience as visitors must comply with stringent security measures, including reserving in advance and leaving mobile phones in lockers during the visit.

Photography is not allowed.

Twenty prisoners out of the institution's 80 are taking part in the show as guides,...