The exhibition project was inspired by the historical exhibition of the works of the German graphic artist, sculptor and painter Käthe Kollwitz, which took place in the Zachęta Central Bureau of Art Exhibitions (CBWA) in 1951. The development of documentation and analysis of the exhibition reception was possible thanks to a research project conducted in recent years at the Zachęta gallery, in which exhibitions, rather than individual works, were the subject of research.

Change the Setting. Polish Theatrical and Social Set Design of the 20th and 21st Centuries is the fourth review exhibition devoted to theatrical set design in the history of Zachęta. Its concept was born out of the original vision of Robert Rumas, a respected visual artist and set designer. The curator and his team of collaborators lead the viewers through 100 years of history, building the narrative of the exhibition according to an issue and theme-based layout and creating contextual references to earlier and later phenomena.