Chichester exhibition is inspired by the plight of refugees

The sculptures, called Shadows of the Wanderer, by Brazilian artist Ana Maria Pacheco, are on display at Chichester Cathedral.

The artwork is carved out of a single lime tree.

At the centre, a young man carries an older man on his back, with 10 figures reacting in the shadows.

Amnesty International UK welcomed the work as ‘timely and poignant’.

Director Kate Allen said: ‘Visitors will experience not just their own reaction to the two desperate figures that flee, but also the varied and complex reactions of the other carved figures that witness their suffering.’

The sculptor said she was inspired by an ancient poem.

The cathedral said the depiction reflects current debates about exile, migration and the displacement of people struggling to escape persecution.

The exhibition runs until November 14.