Venetian Mosque, Enter Art & Controversy

Swiss artist Christoph Büchel has turned an abandoned Venetian Catholic Church into a Mosque in his new art installation called “The Mosque: The First Mosque in the Historic City of Venice.” The purpose of the piece, according to the artist, is to “draw attention to the political institutionalization of segregation and prejudice, and to settlement policies that lie at the heart of global ethnic and religious conflicts today.” Many Muslims in the area have turned this art installation into a legitimate place of worship which has upset local authorities who are threatening to close the mosque down. Daily Beast reports –