The project started in 2006 with a preparatory research on the main religious beliefs and on the different ways of praying in the world.

LIUBA spoke with the Imam of a Mosque and went to pray with Muslim women; She talked about Jewish Religion and Prayer with the Rabbi of a Synagogue; she investigated the practice and the spirituality of Buddhism speaking with different people; she went to pray Zazen in a Zen Temple, she traveled to a Native Reserve in Quebec, Canada, to know more about North American Native Spirituality.

Then she worked with the Italian stylist Elisabetta Bianchetti to conceive of a special nun dress with multi-religious references and details. Looking carefully at the details, the dress is different from traditional religious clothing. It has been designed taking inspiration from the Renaissance Madonnas.

Performing in real life situations involves unpredictability of reactions and events. LIUBA had many kinds of reactions and interactions from people, many of them meditating about the performance’s meaning or being surprised about it.

LIUBA’s cameraman, Raymonda Gentile, was hidden to the public and recorderd both the performance and people’s reactions.

thefingerandthemoon.net

ART GALLERIES AND LOCATIONS CONNECTED IN STREAMING:

Amsterdam (NL)

Beijin (CI) – YUANFEN NEW MEDIA ART SPACE, Seven Stars East Street Dashanzi Factory 798, Chaoyang Qu, Beijing 100015, China www.yuanfenart.com

Belem (BR) – DYOCESIS OF BELEM

Chicoutimi (CA) – SÉQUENCE, 132 rue Racine Est, C.P. 442, Chicoutimi, Québec, G7H 5C2, Canada, tel. +1 418.543.2744

Jerusalem (IS)

Mashteuiatsh, Innu community, (CA),  – THE NATIVE MUSEUM OF MASHTEUIATSH, 1787 Amishk Street, Mashteuiatsh, Québec G0W 2H0

Milan (I) – GALLERIA FAMIGLIA MARGINI, via Simone d’Orsenigo, 6, 20100 Milan

Modena (I) – BETTA FRIGIERI ARTE CONTEMPORANEA, Via G. Muzzioli 8, 41012 Modena, tel. +393393766367

Montreal (CA)

NewYork (US)

Paris (F) – GALERIE PASCAL VANHOECKE, 21 rue des Filles-du-Calvaire, 75003 Paris Tel: +33(0)1.40270927

Piacenza (I) – PLACENTIA ARTE, Via G. B. Scalabrini 116, Piacenza, Italy +39 3393766367,

Rome (I) – GALLERIA 12 -13, Via Garibaldi 12/13, Trastevere, 00100 Roma

SanFrancisco (US)

SaintPetersburg (R)

TelAviv (IS)

Turin (I)

Tokio (JA)

Venezia (I)

Zurich (CH), REDAZIONE IL GIORNALE.CH – Im Rüeblig 5c, 8117 Fällanden (Zürich) Tel 0041 (0) 786090797

The places located in Amsterdam, Jerusalem, Montreal, New York, San Francisco, Saint Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Turin, Tokyo, Venice were private collector’s houses, artists studios or religious communities and therefore their address is not visible on this website.

The Finger & the Moon #3

Performance: S. Augustin Museum Deconsacrated Church, Sept 2012

video: The Finger and the Moon #3.1 – Pre-Performance, Italy, colors, 16’33”; The Finger and the Moon #3.2 – Performance, Italy, colors, 13’31”,  ed. 48+2pda, 2012-2024

Performance Dress: a series of photographic prints on fabric, created in collaboration with fashion designer Elisabetta Bianchetti

Series of photographic compositions, variable size, 2012-2025

The Finger and the Moon #3 is a participatory performance involving representatives of various religious denominations, who meditated together in a collective ritual-performance.

In the deconsecrated church of St. Augustine, the artist meditates, as in the earlier phases of the project, using gestures and prayers from the world’s major religions. Around her, individuals from various spiritual communities in Genoa, who joined the project, move and meditate, each in their own way. The performance thus has a strongly interactive nature and takes shape as a truly collective action, emerging from the spiritual polyphony experienced simultaneously in a space rich in history and lived experiences.

THE BACKSTAGE

The performance, curated by Alessandra Gagliano Candela (Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti di Genova), was preceded by a territorial mapping effort, establishing direct connections with the various religious communities present and actively involving city residents who belong to them.

LIUBA’s artistic work has, for many years, been characterized by an interactive approach and a specific interest in the sociological and urban realities of places and their inhabitants. In this project, the artist delves even deeper into this direction, conducting research among the diverse religious and spiritual communities in the city and encouraging individuals to participate directly and actively in the collective performance.

The anthropological research and fieldwork lasted about a year and was carried out by the artist with the support of anthropologist Barbara Caputo and curator Alessandra Gagliano Candela. As a result, 12 individuals of different religious faiths and spiritual paths joined LIUBA in the collective performance.

THE PERFORMANCE

The participants met with LIUBA in the deconsecrated church several hours before the performance. LIUBA emphasized that it was important for everyone to be themselves and act with naturalness and spontaneity, as it was a performance and not a theatrical show.

Each participant was free to meditate and pray in the way most appropriate for them, sharing it with others while respecting only a few simple spatial directions.

Everyone shared the reasons why they had chosen to be part of the performance and meditate together with people from different religious backgrounds. Each participant was fully aware that they were part of a work of art, as well as of a symbolically significant event for the acceptance and respect of various spiritualities.

The collective performance began with all participants on the large staircase, invited to breathe together. The breath is, in fact, a need and practice that unites all people, regardless of their origin or spirituality.

Then, LIUBA descended into the nave, amidst the audience, and began to meditate with prayers from different faiths. One by one, the other participants also walked down the nave, beginning their meditations, moving freely and improvisationally through the space and interacting with one another.

The Church of St. Augustine, a space rich in history and lived experiences, is particularly suited for the realization of this performance-ritual, which has a strong emotional and conceptual impact. Inside, a video installation presented videos from the two previous stages (The Finger and The Moon #1 and The Finger and The Moon #2, Venice Biennale, 2007 and St. Peter’s Square, 2009).

The performance concluded outside the church, in the real world, in everyday life: the artist’s intention, in fact, was to blend art with life.

Furthermore, for LIUBA, it is very important, in times like the present, when we often witness episodes of intolerance and the stigmatization of differences, to work on the values of unity and the equal dignity of people and faiths, striving to make a humble contribution to dialogue and reflection on spiritualities.

For the occasion, LIUBA wore a performance dress, the result of a new collaboration with fashion designer Elisabetta Bianchetti. The dress was created using photographs of buildings from different religious faiths taken by the artist in New York, which are part of the series The Finger and the Moon #4.

THE VIDEOS

The Finger and the Moon #3.1. Pre Performance, 2012–2024, Italy, color, 16’33”, video on silkscreened USB drive, ed. 48 + 2 a.p.
https://vimeo.com/1014009506 (password: Fingermoon3.1)

The Finger and the Moon #3.2. Performance, 2012–2024, Italy, color, 13’31”, video on silkscreened USB drive, ed. 48 + 2 a.p.
https://vimeo.com/1018257415 (password: Fingermoon3.2)

LIUBA’s two video works originate from the collective performance The Finger and the Moon #3, created by the artist in Genoa in 2012 after a year of preparatory work and engagement with the area’s spiritual communities.
The Finger and the Moon #3.1 unfolds through glimpses and perspectives on the relational work carried out by LIUBA with people in the Genoese territory during the year preceding the performance.
The Finger and the Moon #3.2 is a mosaic of voices and fragments drawn entirely from the participatory performance.

Direction, editing, and soundtrack are by LIUBA, who conceives the transformation of performances into video works as an integral part of her artistic practice. The sound component interweaves sacred music from different religions, with contributions to musical research by Carlo Sliepcevich and Luigi Lanosi Giada.

During the performance, the artist wears a wearable artwork created with fashion designer Elisabetta Bianchetti, composed of photographs of worship buildings taken in New York by LIUBA (series The Finger and the Moon #4). The action is accompanied by the video installations The Finger and the Moon #1 and #2 (Venice Biennale, 2007; St. Peter’s Square, 2009), previous chapters of the same project.

The footage, shot in lighting conditions designed to preserve the intimate and spiritual atmosphere of the performance in the Gothic church of the Museum of S. Agostino in Genoa, contends with the technical challenges posed by dim light and the participants’ freedom of movement.

The diptych is presented in a limited and signed edition of 48 copies + 2 artist’s proofs. The Finger and the Moon #3 box set, produced in 2024, includes the two videos on a silkscreened USB drive and a print of the photographic image that inspired the performance costume — a composition of places of worship photographed by the artist in New York in 2012 — along with the project presentation in Italian and English.

In a time when conflicts between faiths and religious identities are a harsh reality in many parts of the world, The Finger and the Moon #3 places at its core the real encounter between people who pray according to different traditions, transforming the diversity of spiritual gestures into a collective act of coexistence. The coexistence, within the same space, of heterogeneous spiritual practices and languages becomes a tangible possibility of dialogue, listening, and shared sacredness.

LIUBA dedicated the presentation of The Finger and the Moon #3 to the city of Genoa and its active participation in the project. During the world premiere at Villa Croce Museum in Genoa, in dec. 2024, a gift from the artist was presented to those who participated and contributed to the realization of the project. Additionally, the original dress created with Elisabetta Bianchetti, worn by LIUBA for the 2012 performance, was displayed to the public for the first time.

Press Release – Museo Villa Croce Genova The Finger and the Moon #3

From The Finger and the Moon #3 Project Statement by LIUBA

“The idea of the project came about after seeing the magnificence of the Gothic church of St. Augustine Museum, now deconsecrated, and its moving spirituality. I felt the desire to fill this place with prayers from different faiths and religions, convinced that every spiritual path – every ‘finger’ – is a way to the ‘moon’. I wanted to bring people together in this special place to share their spirituality, to share their emotions, bodies, stories, and energy”.

“I believe in participatory art as a means to activate deep reflections, emotions, and synergies within people’s souls. I looked for ordinary people to participate with their life experience and simply being themselves, as opposed to using actors to convey the same concept. The added value here is bringing everyday life and people into the art, just as they are”.

READ ALL OF LIUBA’S TEXT

The Finger & the Moon #4

The Finger and the Moon #4 is a series of photographs taken by LIUBA in New York City, focusing on building belonging to different religions as temples, churches, mosques, sinagogues, and many others.

The Finger and the Moon #3 performance’s outfit  has been made editing together  The Finger and the Moon # 4 series of photographs. The dress-work was made ​​by the artist composing together in black and white many of those photos on fabric. The garment was produced by designer Elisabetta Bianchetti.

The dress-work was made ​​by the artist composing together in black and white many of those photos on fabric. The garment was produced by designer Elisabetta Bianchetti.

thefingerandthemoon.net

The Finger & the Moon #5

Series of 7 polyptychs with predella, digital composition from photos from performances, 2013, ed. 3+1 ap

The series is inspired by the medieval altarpieces consisting of a main image and a predella below.

The works are built by assembling photographs and video stills taken from the live performances of The Finger and the Moon Project. All the images are not taken in the studio but they assemble the results of the live performances, constituing a research that opens up new conceptual, semantic and aesthetic perspectives.

The Finger and The Moon #6

Performance: Art Paris, Grand Palais, Paris, April 4th, 2018

video: 2018, Italy-France, colours 14’52” ed 3+ 2ap

The Finger and the Moon #6 is part of the ongoing project which is questioning about different forms of spirituality, focusing on the concepts of tolerance, respect, fanaticism. In an era, like ours, where Spirituality and Religions are no longer just personal and private matters, but public and political as well.

Invited to exhibit and perform at Art Paris 2018, I decided to develop for Paris a new version of the Finger and the Moon Project, not forgetting the deep wounds received by this city.

Dressed like a nun, but with a ‘multifaith’ special dress expressly conceived for this project and designed with stylist Elisabetta Bianchetti, I went through the Grand Palais praying simultaneously with rituals of the most diffused religions of the world, triggering in the audience different reactions, which have ranged from surprise, to contemplation to indifference.

The video consists of a selection of footage taken during the live performance at the Grand Palais in April 2018, documenting both the performance art piece and the reaction of the public.

Since the The Finger and the Moon Project has already several works, and I was not interested in or could replicate what I have already strongly said with The Finger and the Moon # 2 in the Vatican, The Finger and the Moon #6 is focused on the feeling of estrangement that spirituality (multi-faith of course, with all that implies) causes in a context of ‘market’ like the one of a Contemporary Art Fair.

It is a work about people and their reactions, and about the contrast between spirituality and business. It’s interesting to notice that Spirituality seems almost an extraneous element in the Art Fair, while we know – and I am convinced of it – that art creation is always connected with spirituality, of whatever form it is.

Much attention in the video was also given to music, which is the result of my research on sacred music of various peoples and religions, edited in a polyphonic manner. To this sound material coming from various parts of the world, I added pieces from Drop by Luigi Einaudi, which I thank.

“The Finger and the moon #6, performed at Art Paris and dedicated to the memory of the victims of fanaticism, represents a critique of dogmatism and an invitation to spirituality in the world of art. According to LIUBA, in fact, meditation, prayer and spiritual life are of great importance in our daily lives and in the world of art.

The title of the work is inspired by this sentence: “All religions are like fingers pointing to the moon /The important is not just looking at the finger””

(Pascal Vanhoecke)

“LIUBA c’est une artiste italienne dont le type d’expression principale est la performance avec lesquelles elle réalise des vidéos. Chaque projet est mis en place pour un lieu est un sujet spécifique. Ensuite elle muséifie quelques objets issus de ses performances et qui laissent une trace physique pour les amateurs d’art. Son travail d’artiste est centré sur des questions sociales, anthropologiques, géographiques et philosophiques. LIUBA questionne le comportement humain à l’aide de l’interactivité et de la chance.
Ses performances sont toujours faites dans des lieux publics sans que les observateurs ne soient prévenus. Les vidéos rendent compte du comportement du public mis en confrontation avec la performance réalisée. Ses recherches sont basées sur l’analyse sociale et l’étude des contradictions humaines. Elle analyse aussi avec humour des comportements du monde de l’art contemporain et parfois fait se rencontrer des deux. Dans “The Finger and the Moon” une nonne pratique les prières de toutes les confessions religieuses. C’est une performance « in progress » qui s’inscrit dans un projet d’analyse plus globale puisqu’elle l’a déjà réalisé sur le parvis du Vatican et à la biennale de Venise.”

(from the Pascal Vanhoecke Gallery presentation)

The finger and The Moon #6, 2018, Videostill from performance at ART PARIS

 from The  Finger and the Moon Project – Luca Panaro

“(…) The place chosen by Liuba for her performative work is so unusual as full of symbolism, it is in fact Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City.The same may be said about the artist’s dress, singlularly exemplary, it was created in consultation with the stylist Elisabetta Bianchetti. It is a dress similar to the one used by Christian nuns, but it has details that permits Liuba to assume Muslim and Jewish prayer positions, Buddhist meditation positions, and different Hindu yoga positions all in the same dress… “  read the full article

from Saint Liuba – Mark Bartlett

“(…) By all appearances a Nun, she came to this place of pilgrimage to pray with closed hands, touching each Rosary bead and giving them her voice. But even the Nun’s habit can be deceiving. Liuba is no ordinary Nun; she is closer in ecumenical philosophy to al-Falsifa and St. Thomas. After praying to Yahweh, she spread with equal devotional virtue an orange cloth in the Vatican’s Piazza. Using a compass as Muslims do to face east toward Mecca with scientific accuracy, she prayed to Allah..”  read the full article

THE FINGER AND THE MOON #3 – VIDEOS EDITION

The Finger and the Moon #3.1 and The Finger and the Moon #3.2, 2 videos on a screen-printed USB, 2012-2024, ed. 48+2

The box set The Finger and the Moon #3, produced in 2024, includes the videos The Finger and the Moon #3.1 and The Finger and the Moon #3.2 on a screen-printed USB drive, in a limited edition of 48 copies, numbered and signed.

The two videos are dedicated to the 2012 performance of the same name, held in the deconsecrated church of the Museo di S. Agostino in Genoa. The first video, #3.1 focuses on the pre-performance phase — the extensive relational work with people from different faiths, carried out in Genoa over nearly a year of efforts and connections. The second video, #3.2, captures the actual participatory performance. Both videos were premiered on December 12, 2024, at the Villa Croce Museum of Contemporary Art in Genoa, curated by Alessandra Gagliano Candela.
The package also includes a print of the photographic composition that inspired the costume used in the performance, specifically a series of photographs taken by LIUBA in 2012 at various places of worship in New York (see The Finger and the Moon #4), along with a presentation of the project in both Italian and English.

>>> WRITE HERE TO REQUEST A COPY <<<<