On the opening day of the 61st Venice Biennale, the Church of Santa Maria di Nazareth in Venice hosted a rare fusion of punk poetry and medieval mysticism. Patti Smith, accompanied by the experimental sound-art collective Soundwalk, performed a ritual homage to Saint Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th-century Benedictine nun, composer, and healer. The event marked the official inauguration of the Holy See Pavilion of the Vatican, a fixture of the Biennale that this year explores the theme of listening as a contemplative act.
The half-hour performance, produced in collaboration with Onassis Culture, consisted of three original works composed for the occasion. Smith sang texts and hymns drawn from Hildegard's oeuvre, whose monastery in Germany remains active to this day, with thirty nuns continuing her traditions of song and horticulture. Hildegard is widely regarded as one of the most significant composers of sacred monophonic music and has inspired generations of musicians across Europe and beyond.
A Sonic Prayer in a Secret Garden
The Vatican Pavilion's exhibition, titled “The Ear is the Eye of the Soul”, is curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers and produced with Soundwalk Collective. It unfolds across two venues in Venice: the Secret Garden of the Discalced Carmelites in Cannaregio and the Santa Maria Ausiliatrice complex in Castello. Twenty-four artists contributed new works, including Jim Jarmusch, Brian Eno, FKA twigs, Kali Malone, and Meredith Monk. Twenty-one of these pieces are sound installations, designed to be experienced through headphones while visitors wander the garden.
Stephan Crasneanscki, founder of Soundwalk Collective, explained the project's origins to Euronews: “We wanted to create a sonic prayer as a tribute for the inauguration of the Vatican Pavilion to Hildegard of Bingen. We have organised a sound exhibition here, where we wander through a monastery within a park. Her remedies and plants can still be found here. So in the monastery chapel we wanted to pay tribute to Hildegard and inaugurate the Vatican Pavilion.”
Crasneanscki, who has worked with sound for three decades, noted that the pavilion offers a rare opportunity for sound art to take centre stage. “Sound has always remained in the shadows. It has always been at the service of the image or secondary to something else. And here, suddenly, in this garden, there is nothing but sound. It allows you to have an unprecedented experience. You do not see any artwork, any painting or anything else; there is only nature, which truly foregrounds the sound.”
Hildegard of Bingen’s concept of viriditas—a Latin term meaning “green force” or vitality—informed the performance. “She used song, gardening and nature to ground us, to make us be present,” Crasneanscki said. “So in this sonic prayer we created with Patti Smith, the idea was also to extend this contemplative mood and to allow this opening of the heart.”
Soundwalk Collective, founded in 2001 by Crasneanscki and joined by Simone Merli in 2008, has collaborated with Smith for nearly 15 years. The two met by chance on a plane, a meeting Crasneanscki described as “destiny.” When the Vatican invited him to curate the pavilion, he immediately called Smith. “When I came to this garden and saw this little chapel of Santa Maria at the end of the garden, I called Patti and told her: ‘This is your chapel. This is where we have to record your voice and create your piece.’” The recording was made in New York and serves as a tribute to the Virgin Mary.
The Biennale’s overarching theme, set by curator Koyo Kouoh, encourages a slower pace and quieter register—an approach that aligns seamlessly with the Vatican Pavilion’s focus on listening. Visitors to the Secret Garden are invited to wander through the greenery, headphones on, immersed in a single soundscape woven from the commissioned works. The experience is deliberately devoid of visual art, allowing sound and nature to dominate.
For those interested in the broader context of this year’s Biennale, the Venice Biennale 2026: Naked Bell Ringers and Drone Carpets Dazzle offers a glimpse into other standout moments. Meanwhile, the Vatican Pavilion’s emphasis on quiet reflection stands in contrast to the political protests that have marked the event, such as Pussy Riot and FEMEN's protest against Russia's return.
The performance and exhibition run through the duration of the Biennale, offering a rare moment of stillness amid the festival’s usual cacophony. As Crasneanscki put it, “Sound allows you to have an unprecedented experience.”
