To understand the modern artistry of Ludmila Pawlowska, to get a grip on what it all means, entails taking a spiritual journey, with ancient religious icons serving as guides.

Pawlowska, a Russian native who now lives in Sweden with her husband, Polish-born Jan Lech, encourages people to make their own interpretations from her modern, three-dimensional artwork, some of which is painted onto pieces of wood standing nearly 10 feet tall. Sculptures also are part of her repertoire.

The images are inspired by centuries-old icons that are a key component of the Orthodox Christian Church, of which Pawlowska is a member.

Her traveling exhibition, titled "Icons in Transformation," will have its official opening at 2 p.m. Sunday at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th. Additional works will be shown at First Presbyterian Church, located two blocks west of the cathedral at 817 S.W. Harrison.

The exhibit will be on display through March 25.

In total, the exhibition will feature about 180 pieces of art created by Pawlowska, including some new works that will premiere in Topeka.

Traditional icons from the Vassilevsky Monastery in Suzdal, Russia, also will be featured at the exhibit.

The crucifixion of Christ is a common theme in many of Pawlowska’s pieces. Some of her works also have openings in them to reveal another, other-worldly dimension. Still others have mirrors, a way of bringing the viewer into the art.

Another common component in many pieces is a set of searching eyes showing a wide range of emotions and feelings.

Pawlowska uses a variety of media to express herself — from wire to limestone to bullet shell casings in her several anti-war pieces.

Docents will lead groups through the exhibit, explaining the stories behind the works. People also can take their time to view the art.

As the exhibit will be in Topeka for about two months, people can return as often as they would like to revisit the artwork.

Most importantly, she said, people get to draw their own conclusions about what to make of her works.

"You decide," the 47-year-old Pawlowska said last week, standing inside Grace Cathedral as dozens of large crates were being unpacked by volunteers. "We can see different things, especially in abstract images. It's all about your story."

The exhibit has been around the world, though it changes everywhere it goes. More than 100,000 people saw it during a three-month stay in Brussels. More than 70,000 attended an exhibit in Dublin.

On its current U.S. tour, the exhibit to date has been in Episcopal churches in Seattle, Cincinnati and, most recently, St. Louis. From Topeka, it will go to Memphis, Tenn.

Pawlowska and her husband will remain in Topeka for the opening on Sunday, then will return to Sweden, where their two teenage daughters are in school.

Pawlowska’s parents were Soviet dissidents who were exiled from Moscow to remote Kazakhstan by the Joseph Stalin regime following World War II.

When she was 4 years old, Pawlowska showed unusual aptitude for art — so much so that when she was still a child, she moved to Moscow to go to an art institute, separating herself from her family.

“From the beginning, when I was 8 or 9 years old, I knew already that this was something I definitely wanted to do,” she said. “I couldn’t live without it.”

About 20 years ago, she and her husband moved to the area of Skara, Sweden. She said she fell in love with its peaceful, pastoral setting.

In 1996, her mother came to visit her but suffered what turned out to be a fatal stroke. Her mother's death sent Pawlowska into a deep search for an answer to her question of why her mother died.

She immersed herself in visits to Orthodox churches, where she began to see icons — called by some "windows to heaven" — in a new way.

The result was the ongoing “Icons in Transformation” project that started some 12 years ago.

The exhibit will be open at Grace Cathedral and First Presbyterian from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Additionally, the exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at Grace Cathedral only.

For more information, visit www.ludmilapawlowska.se

Phil Anderson can be reached at (785) 295-1195 or phil.anderson@cjonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/philreports. Read his blog at www.cjonline.com/blog/perspectives.