Hildegard can be seen (in a spiritual sense and in texts) and heard (via sonic prayer) at this year’s La Biennale di Venezia, as the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See presents The Ear is the Eye of the Soul. The 12th-century mystic and marvel is alive and well in Italy, just ask the fortunate Venice visitors.
The exhibition was created by curators “Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in response to Koyo Kouoh’s curatorial proposition for Biennale Arte 2026, In Minor Keys”. (She passed away in May 2025, but the organizers vowed to honor her vision for 2026.):
“[Take a deep breath]
[Exhale]
[Drop your shoulders]
[Close your eyes]”
And so the contemplation begins.
José Tolentino Card. de Mendonça, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education was thrilled when he first spoke with Hans Ulrich Obrist about collaborating with the Holy See.
“Since then, he has told me that he had often desired to work on the legacy of Hildegard, a fact that strongly encouraged us to take this direction.”
He adds,
“We must return to serving the rhythm of life, the harmony of creation and healing its wounds.” These programmatic words of Pope Leo XIV serve as a compass for the design of the pavilion of the Holy See at the Venice Biennale, which has chosen as its protagonist a figure who could appear distant, being a mystic of the twelfth century, but who possesses a still rather contemporary voice, capable of illuminating the questions and paths of the present.”
He goes on to write that
““The Ear is the Eye of the Soul,” is inspired by Hildegard of Bingen but was formulated by Alexander Kluge, who worked passionately on this project until his sudden passing this past March 25. We therefore gratefully dedicate the joy and the dream of this project to his memory and to that of the General Curator Koyo Kouoh, who passed away last year.”
The pavilion begins at the Giardino Mistico, a garden area inside a 17th-century convent tended by the Discalced Carmelite community. The Order was founded by St. Teresa of Ávila, another well-known mystic and Doctor of the Church.
Sound artists, Stephan Crasneanscki and Simone Merli of Soundwalk Collective, direct the pavilion’s sonic experience. Their audio tools and instruments listen
“to the garden in real time, translating subtle natural rhythms — including biophotonic data, electromagnetic activity and the micro-acoustics of wind, water, wood, insects, and soil — into an evolving composition.”
This experimentation repurposes contemplation as art.
The next site, at the Complex of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice, includes Alexander Kluge’s living archive, curated with Sister Maura Zátonyi OSB and the St. Hildegard Academy. It’s a film and image installation and is Kluge’s final work. He is also credited with naming the exhibition, The Ear is the Eye of the Soul, inspired by Hildegard.
La Biennale started as the first International Arts Exhibition back in 1895. Eventually, Music, Cinema, Theatre, Architecture, and Dance were added. A fun fact: the highly acclaimed Venice Film Festival, the first film festival ever, began there in 1932.
In 2024, Pope Francis was the first pope to ever attend La Biennale. This year, the Catholic Church is being represented by Saint Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th-century abbess, poet, healer, artist, composer, and still-current spiritual influencer.
Be sure to check out this modern-day exploration of Hildegard’s works with “a call to the contemplative act of listening”. Hildegard’s music, writings, and visions are expressed through 20+ artists. The list includes contributions by Brian Eno, Patti Smith, Jim Jarmusch, and other contemporary notables.
With Hildegard, nothing gets old. Everything has a chance to regenerate and renew. As seen happening in Venice, Hildegard’s viriditas lives on. She didn’t begin writing until her 40s. She lived into her 80s. She was canonized and became a Doctor of the Church in 2012. And she “lives on” in 2026. Hildegard’s fruitful life keeps giving. (“And you will know them by their fruits.” (See Matthew 7:15-20)).
HOLY SEE – The Ear is the Eye of the Soul:
Tuesday through Sunday until September 30th from 11 am to 7 pm.
Then, October 1 through November 22 from 10 am to 6 pm.
Free admission.
And by the way, the Venice Film Festival runs from September 2-12, 2026.
“As they were returning to their inheritance timbrels and harps and all kinds of music burst forth, because Man, Who had lain in perdition but now Stood upright in blessedness, had been freed by heavenly power and escaped from death, as through My servant Hosea I have stated thus:…”
-St. Hildegard of Bingen’s vision in Scivias
