The Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is known for his controversial art projects, which often explore the boundaries between performance, art and religion. His latest project, an interactive confessional, was launched ahead of Easter 2026.
Beginning this week and running through April 23rd, the global initiative invites participants to confess their sins via a dedicated hotline or WhatsApp voice message. Selected voices will be featured in a livestreamed event on April 23rd, where Cattelan himself assumes the role of a priest—offering a symbolic, performative absolution.
Instead of invoking religious authority, Cattelan portrays the act as a universal human experience, grounded in vulnerability, storytelling and the enduring significance of symbolic gestures. Timed to coincide with Easter and the 21st anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s death, the project takes on added significance, drawing on long-standing traditions of reflection and repentance.
The Return of ‘La Nona Ora’
Alongside the performance, Cattelan is releasing a limited edition of 666 miniature versions of his infamous 1999 sculpture, La Nona Ora (The Ninth Hour), which depicts the Pope being struck down by a meteorite. Cast in hand-painted resin, this edition revisits one of the most controversial images in contemporary art, which has been interpreted in various ways as a meditation on fragility, power and institutional crisis.
La Nona Ora depicts POPE JOHN PAUL II holding up a meteorite
Photography by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Photography courtesy of AVANT ARTE
