Enchanted Wall. Bożena Truchanowska’s Illustrations

The exhibition Enchanted Wall. Bożena Truchanowska’s Illustrations is an educational experiment.

For long months, we would study illustrations by the title artist in detail to spot their common elements. We divided them into several categories. They underwent thorough analysis and thanks to collaboration with two illustrators – Joanna Czaplewska and Anna Gawron – we have transferred them into the museum. This way, we have combined the extraordinary world seen through Bożena Truchanowska’s eyes with a contemporary vision of an educational exhibition.

The exhibition consists of ten parts (modules) with original illustrations from children’s books. This is a fantastic occasion to analyse, compare and, above all, get to know the worlds created by the great illustrator in detail. During the work on her illustrations, Truchanowska used an array of tools: from traditional coloured pencils, paintbrushes or nibs, to the less obvious needles, sticks or… her own finger! In the Poland of the 70s and 80s, material shortages would often increase Polish illustrators’ creativity.

The division into ten modules is a deliberate educational strategy. During the exploration of different sections, children will get to know many plant and animal species. They will discover details hidden at the exhibition, imagine the unrealistic parts and watch various stages of an image’s development. They will learn something about perspective too. But, above all, they will find out that everything is possible in the world of illustration.

A visit to the museum may be a great adventure for every child (a small and big one). Especially, if you can take your shoes off at the exhibition, run and jump around, play or, just the opposite – lie, calm down, listen to different sounds and fall asleep!

Let it enchant you!