The brutal tribulations of a 3rd-century Egyptian saint, protector of those with toothache, are explored by Andy Warhol and contemporary Italian artist Omar Galliani in a new exhibition here.
The US pop artist and Galliani both produced a series of works paying tribute to Saint Apollonia, whose torture and death has sparked the interest of iconographers for centuries.
Saint Apollonia was killed during a bloody uprising against Christians in Alexandria in AD 249.
An account written a few decades after her death reported that Apollonia was seized by a group of men who broke all her teeth by smashing her jaw repeatedly.
The men then prepared a bonfire and threatened to burn her alive if she refused to recant her Christianity. Apollonia refused but then leapt onto the fire herself, where she burned to death.
Other accounts claim that she had her teeth pulled out one by one before being burned alive.
Both versions of the grim tale have long drawn the attention of artists, and Apollonia's popularity grew as Christianity spread, eventually attracting something of a cult following, particularly in South America.
The exhibition in Venice is the most recent chapter in this long story, starting with a series of prints by Andy Warhol who was fascinated by it.
Completed in 1984, the four prints show the saint clasping a set of pincers, alluding to the legend of her teeth being pulled out.
Galliani, who produced a series of artworks on various saints between 2004 and 2006, has created seven large canvases for this exhibition.
These offer a symbolic, lateral interpretation of ideas associated with Apollonia, depicting hails of teeth, teeth floating through the sky, or the tooth as a mystical, disturbing or even sexual element.
Although Galliani's series often has a distinctly ironic tone, it also celebrates the mental strength and spiritual faith of Apollonia, seeking to portray her soul through intimate portraits contrasting light and shade.
Entitled simply 'Santa Apollonia', the exhibition is open daily 10am-6pm until August 15.
