The Vatican’s Latest Salvo Against A.I.? An Art Triennial

Art & Exhibitions The Vatican’s Latest Salvo Against A.I.? An Art Triennial The event by the Catholic Universities aims to champion human creativity amid the rise of artificial intelligence. In May, Pope Leo XIV set out the Catholic Church’s position on A.I., warning in his first encyclical that the technology threatens to undermine the essence of humanity if allowed to develop without moral oversight. The Vatican has now followed up with a global art triennial aimed at elevating human creativity and generating debate over the hot button issues of the modern world. The Catholic Universities Art Triennial makes this purpose abundantly clear through its title “Exercises in Empathy,” a follow-on from Pope Leo’s declaration that artificial intelligences “lack the affective, relational, and spiritual perspective through which human beings grow.” The Triennial will be staged at seven Catholic universities across four continents throughout the remainder of the year, before concluding in Venice in 2027, where the Vatican staged a widely acclaimed soundscape pavilion at this year’s Biennale. Organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See, the event positions Catholic universities, many of which ground students in courses of philosophy and theology, as natural sites to gather and reflect on the state of the world through art. The Triennale’s chief curator, Nuno Crespo, called the venture a “School of Empathy” where moral experiments will take place. “[The Triennial unites] artists who speak different languages, possess different poetics, and have very distinct artistic, cultural, social, and political practices,” Crespo, who heads the School of Arts at the Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon, said in a curatorial statement. “Each work, each exhibition, and each artist leads us towards collective practices of empathy.” Staged at catholic universities in Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá, Boston, Lisbon, Luanda, Milan, and Santiago, the Triennial includes some impressive names in its list of more than 100 participating artists. The series will kick off at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in late August, staging work by the pioneer of Brazilian conceptual art Ana Maria Maiolino and Arthur Jafa, a chronicler of Black life in America. In Chile, there are promised showings from Thai multimedia artist Korakrit Arunanondchai and Rivane Neuenschwander, the Brazilian artist known for installations of everyday materials. In Bogotá, a cohort of 13 artists will include work from the Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2010 for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Fittingly, Boston College will stage work from Corita Kent, the one-time nun whose text-heavy work wove social justice into Pop art. The Catholic University of Angola is showing work by more than 20 artists, including by Sammy Baloji and Kiluanji Kia Henda, both known for exploring African postcolonial identities through photography. The largest exhibition will take place in Lisbon with a roster of more than 30 artists including the likes of Martha Rosler and William Eggleston. “At a time when many processes are being delegated to algorithms, reaffirming the centrality of human empathy becomes an act of cultural awareness,” José Tolentino de Mendonça, the prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, said in a statement. “May the Triennial strengthen the international role of Catholic Universities as cultural workshops capable of contributing to the task of humanization.”