Shelved: Stories from a Storeroom

The role of a museum is to exhibit works from its collections, and primarily to gather and preserve them for future generations. These tasks, oriented towards the present and the future, are rooted in the past. The museum is a storehouse and the presented objects are precisely selected and restricted in terms of exhibition and conservation. At Wawel Royal Castle, displayed objects also have to fit the character of a royal residence.

The first installment of the new series is on December 14. Its theme will be Love.

And what about the objects that are not displayed? Is there any place for them? Is their artistic value inappropriate? Or are they hidden because of the mentioned restrictions? Despite the place in which an object is kept, it cannot tell any story until it is asked a proper question. Objects from a storeroom – put away but not alone – meet only these people who are responsible for taking care of them. Only introducing them into a functioning, precisely organised museum system provides them with a status that is equal (or at least close) to that of displayed objects –in our case, objects decorating the royal castle. The objects that are put away, often ‘inappropriate’ for representative interiors of a king’s residence, now tell stories about collecting, exhibiting, museum workers, and themselves.

Look at the artifacts that we have gathered here. Are we here for them or rather they are here for us? Do you like them? Are they interesting for any reason? We want to invite you to join our journey at your own pace. Become a part of the history of presented works. Take inventory cards of the objects and create your own storehouse. Do not forget about them and come back to learn a further history of Wawel storehouses.

⇒ list of people involved in the creation of the exhibition