The Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing organized, between 8 May and 11 June 2026, the exhibition “Resurrection – Creation and Restoration”, created by iconographer and mural painting conservator-restorer Elena Murariu and Dr. Florian Petrescu, accompanied by a series of lectures dedicated to mural heritage conservation and restoration, held at the headquarters of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing and at the headquarters of ICOMOS China on 9 and 13 May 2026 respectively.
The exhibition “Resurrection – Creation and Restoration” officially opened on Friday, 8 May, at 18:00, at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing, located in Galaxy SOHO. The exhibition comprised a creative section featuring 26 icons executed in graphic and watercolor techniques, together with 20 display panels presenting 58 documentary photographs illustrating fragments of the mural restoration work carried out by Elena Murariu, together with her husband, architect and professor Dr. Florian Petrescu, over the course of the last 35 years on important conservation sites in Romania, including Bistrița Monastery Infirmary Chapel (Bolnița Bistriței), Gura Motrului Monastery, Fundenii Doamnei Church, Viorești Church, and others.
The more than twenty graphic works brought together in the exhibition proposed, in the spirit of the Byzantine artistic tradition, an extensive visual meditation on the theme of the Resurrection, the central core of Christian spirituality. Among the iconographic scenes represented were “The Descent into Hell”—one of the defining images of Orthodox Christianity—“The Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Tomb,” “The Angel Announcing the Resurrection,” “The Supper at Emmaus,” “Christ Appearing to the Apostles at the Sea of Tiberias,” and “The Resurrection of Christ,” a theme originating in the Western tradition but gradually integrated into Orthodox iconography. Other works, such as “Jonah Emerging from the Whale” and “Daniel Delivered from the Lions’ Den,” evoke Old Testament episodes that symbolically prefigure the Resurrection of Christ. A special place is occupied by “The Raising of Lazarus,” an essential moment of the Paschal cycle, occurring on the eve of Holy Week and traditionally regarded as a foreshadowing of the universal resurrection. The entire iconographic ensemble was created in accordance with the testimonies of the Holy Apostles and the tradition of the Byzantine Hermeneia, which over the centuries refined the narrative, symbolic, and spiritual dimensions of ecclesiastical art.
Alongside the works dedicated to the theme of the Resurrection, the exhibition also included representative creations from some of Elena Murariu’s most significant artistic cycles, such as “Angel Wings,” “The Burning Bush,” “The Parables of the Saviour,” and “Constantin Brâncoveanu – The Power of Vision.” Their presence enriched the exhibition narrative through a reflection on Romanian spiritual and cultural memory, while also evoking the artistic and symbolic universe of the Brâncoveanu era. In this context, it should be recalled that the Brâncoveanu Holy Martyrs occupy a fundamental place in the spirituality of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and that many of the monuments presented in the exhibition maintain direct connections with the Brâncoveanu family or with the artistic influence of the Brâncovenesc style.
Through its theme and visual structure, the exhibition “Resurrection – Creation and Restoration” constituted a reflection on memory, continuity, and the preservation of spiritual heritage, affirming, through the language of art, the values of beauty, faith, and hope.
The exhibition enjoyed an exceptional reception from both the public and the Chinese cultural community. It was visited by a considerable number of visitors and received extensive coverage in prestigious media outlets and on major social media platforms in China.
