M Leuven is a museum that zooms in on visual literacy and transhistoricity. Since 2017, it has collaborated with ENVIL on a model encouraging deeper, more critical engagement with artworks. From 2020 to 2024, the museum hosted Moving, an exhibition exploring religious art and heritage objects designed to move—both physically and symbolically. With themes like procession, pilgrimage, and devotion, it showcased objects essential to rituals, such as animated sculptures, procession tools, cult items, and home altars. These items were created to enhance spiritual experiences and unite communities. The presentation highlights how the exhibition juxtaposed historical and contemporary worship, broadening our understanding of the role of images in religious and festive contexts. It also explores how this theme continues in M Leuven’s permanent collection, where rituals like opening reliquary caskets and adjusting retables on feast days are brought to life.
