{"id":386039,"date":"2026-04-07T08:41:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/386039\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T08:41:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:41:11","slug":"maurizio-cattelan-the-confessional-sinners-hotline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/386039\/","title":{"rendered":"Maurizio Cattelan ‘The Confessional’ Sinners Hotline"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/p>\n

Italian firebrand artist Maurizio Cattelan unveiled a new performance artwork, a sinners hotline titled \u201cThe Confessional\u201d
\nCallers are encouraged to submit secrets via WhatsApp through April 22 and select sinners wills be \u201cabsolved\u201d by the artist in a livestream
\nThe launch coincides with the artist\u2019s new \u201cLa Nona Ora\u201d edition release with Avant Arte<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re wicked or maybe just a little guilty, Maurizio Cattelan<\/a> is collecting sins. For his next act, the art world enfant terrible is playing priest in \u201cThe Confessional,\u201d his a new participatory artwork and hotline.<\/p>\n

Now through April 22, audiences are invited to spill secrets via voice note, text or phone call. Submissions will be personally reviewed by the artist and select callers will be absolved by Cattelan himself in a special livestream event on April 23.\n<\/p>\n

Despite a firebrand reputation, the Catholic-inspired work isn\u2019t an attempt to scandalize, the artist told The Guardian<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t see it as absolution. It\u2019s not religious authority, it\u2019s a shared gesture. Confession exists in different forms everywhere \u2013 even outside religion.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The dial-up confession booth coincides with the second coming of the artist\u2019s controversial 1999 work,\u201cLa Nona Ora<\/a>,\u201d which depicts pope John Paul II, an equally hot-button figure, struck down by a meteorite. Arriving in a devilish edition of 666, the hand-painted resin sculpture<\/a> was produced in collaboration with Avant Arte<\/a> and miniaturizes the original into a shelf-sized figurine.\n<\/p>\n

The sculptural edition is purchasable by random draw, though those who submit a confession will gain early access, and select sinners will receive one for free.\n<\/p>\n

\"Maurizio<\/p>\n

Photo: Chesnot\/Getty Images\n<\/p>\n

Avant Arte calls \u201cLa Nona Ora\u201d Cattelan\u2019s most sacrilegious piece. The meteorite, added to convey a sense of power and prominence, has particularly stirred outcry. While it was on display at the Zach\u0119ta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw in 2000, the rock was removed by a pair of Polish politicians, which led to the ousting<\/a> of the museum\u2019s director. Despite this, Cattelan seems to still be in the church\u2019s good graces after being invited to exhibit at the Vatican\u2019s Venice Biennale pavilion in 2024.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cCatholicism is something you grow up inside, even if you try to step out of it. It\u2019s belief, theater, control, comfort, all at once. I\u2019m not trying to defend it or attack it,\u201d the artist continued.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m interested in the images it produces and the tension they carry. If someone feels offended, it probably means the image is still alive.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

For sinners inside the U.S., call +1 601 666 7466 to take part in \u201cThe Confessional.\u201d Those outside the country are encouraged to participate via WhatsApp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary Italian firebrand artist Maurizio Cattelan unveiled a new performance artwork, a sinners hotline titled \u201cThe Confessional\u201d Callers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-386039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}