6 June – 31 August 2014

Exhibition curator: mgr Paweł Polkowski

The most recent exhibition of the Close encounters with… cycle presents the rock engravings left by the inhabitants of the distant Dakhla Oasis in the Western Desert many thousands years ago. The exhibition is open from 6^th June to the end of August 2014. The curator of the exposition, entitled An isle in the sea of sand. Petroglyphs at Dakhla Oasis in the Western Desert is Paweł Polkowski, who specializes in rock engravings in the Rock Art Workshop of the Poznań Archaeological Museum.

We suggest a moment of reflection while looking at the extraordinary images from thousands years back. Rock art is an area of art rarely displayed in museums, even though it is a fascinating topic and not just for experts alone. “Being able to look at the pictures done by people many thousands years ago means being able to listen to their stories”, says Polkowski. “It is trying to see into their minds and perceive the world with their eyes. But trying to guess what they really wanted to communicate is not all plain sailing and you can easily see why at our exhibition.”

The petroglyphs presented at the exhibition were produced from the late Stone Age until the modern times. They are images engraved in rock or stone with different tools specific for the period in which they were produced and in various techniques. The subject matter of the presentations changed as well, with the result that the range of images discovered by explorers is tremendously varied and highly interesting.

“My aim is not merely to bring closer the diverse images, styles and techniques together with their creators, but to persuade the visitor to try to get into their boots”, adds Polkowski. And so all are invited to interactive participation. The visitors will have the opportunity to interpret selected petroglyphs and compare their observations with those of others. In this way everyone will be able to try their hand at being an archaeologist. We invite you to touch the copies of the selected images made especially for this occasion. With your eyes closed you will get transported in time and space to the place where the wind always blows and the sun always shines – to the Western Desert.