“Around Us a Sea of Fire. The Fate of Jewish Civilians During the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising” is the first exhibition devoted to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to focus on the perspective of civilians. During the Uprising, they hid in bunkers and shelters, defying the German system of deportations and mass murder. Instead of responding to summons to turn up for transports heading towards imminent death, they remained in hiding. Their silent act of resistance was as important as armed combat.

For the exhibition, Joanna Rajkowska was commissioned the project We live day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute (Eye of Krystyna Budnicka/Hena Kuczer) photo: Jędrzej Sokołowski

We live day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, 2022 (Eye of Krystyna Budnicka/Hena Kuczer) 201x200cm, lightbox, photo. Jędrzej Sokołowski

The project We live day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute is the eye that looks and at which we look. It is an exchange of glances and a play of views.The project also refers to the accounts of those who were in the ghetto during the uprising and saw people watching from rooftops on the “aryan” side, and the accounts of those who were watching. What they had in common is an eye, a human eye.

Within the exhibition “Around Us a Sea of Fire. The Fate of Jewish Civilians During the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising” the play of glances repeats the ghastly exchange of 1943. It reaches for what was the experience of the insurgents, witnesses and victims every day, hour and minute.