The exhibition "What is not seen. Behind the scenes of conservation work on the sculpture of the Sorrowful Christ from the Boim Chapel in Lviv" is a kind of invitation to the world of conservationists. For a moment, you can step into the role of a conservator who is working on a sculpture that is more than 400 years old. The exhibition talks about the specifics of this work as seen through the prism of individual activities.

We wander along the trail of successive studies and pass through the stages of conservation work. We see the sculpture as the experts see it. We share the joy of unexpected successes and learn the bitter taste of unfulfilled hopes. This is helped by archive photographs, conservation documentation and modern technologies such as 3D scanning and films showing not only the laser cleaning, but also the sculpture's journey from a height of almost 30 metres to the floor level of the conservation workshop. This is not obvious or easy work, as we are dealing with extremely complex technologies using the latest scientific discoveries in physics and chemistry. It is also sometimes the case that the intended stages of conservation work are altered by the research results obtained.

The most important element of the exhibition is... the original sculpture of the Sorrowful Christ, which for the first time in history we can see up close, a perspective that is normally impossible. The statue of the Sorrowful Christ was created as the finial of the dome of the Boim Chapel in Lviv, one of the city's most valuable monuments, which is about 30 metres high. Usually, therefore, the sculpture can only be seen from a distance. Now, however, we can analyse it from a distance of just a few tens of centimetres. This allows us to see the structure of its material or details. The anatomical abnormalities that can be seen are the result of the fact that it was designed to be viewed from afar, from below, in which case viewing from a lower perspective compensates for the 'errors' intended by the sculpture's author.

At the moment, the statue of the Sorrowful Christ is the most thoroughly researched monument in Ukraine. The work, which began in 2021, was carried out thanks to the efforts and partnership of the city of Lviv, the Lviv National Art Gallery and the Polonika Institute. Part of the funds for the conservation were raised and donated by the "Foundation for the Development of Banking Education and Science" of the Lviv School of Banking. The exhibition "What cannot be seen" is the result of both conservation efforts - aimed at safeguarding Polish heritage abroad - and popularisation efforts to disseminate knowledge about the traces of Poles around the world. Above all, however, it is to draw attention to the unquestionable value of activities concerning care for the common cultural heritage of the world.

Exhibition authors:
Curator: Marta Kruczyńska
Set design: Artmontage & Elipsy
Visual identity: Andrzej Pągowski
Editor: Iwona Hardej
Ukrainian translation: Iurii Tkachuk
Translation into English: Małgorzata Matysik

Honorary patronage:
Minister of Culture and National Heritage Prof. Piotr Glinski
Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Poland Vasyl Zvarych

Partners:
Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Lviv
The Borys Voznitsky National Art Gallery of Lviv
The City of Lviv
Foundation for the Development of Education and Banking Science Higher School
Lviv Academy of Banking

Media patrons:
Polish Press Agency, Polish Radio, Polish Radio for Foreign Countries, Polish Radio for Ukraine, TVP Polonia, Architektura. Murator, Kurier Galicyjski, Renowacje i Zabytki, Nowa Europa Wschodnia, Spotkania z Zabytkami

Exhibition venues:
23.10-25.11.2023 - Okno na kulturze Gallery, Warsaw
from 15.01.2024 - J. J. Pinsel Museum, Lviv (Ukraine)

To download:
Christ_Frasobliwy_exhibition.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGi-l73AqNk