September 19th – October 12th, 2025
UM Gallery, UMPRUM, Jan Palach Square 80, Prague 1
Opening: September 18, 2025, at 6:00 PM
Courage, the current exhibition at UM Gallery, presents a collection of works by students from the Photography II Studio at UMPRUM, created under the guidance of Alena Kotzmannová and Karin Zadrick. Originally developed for the Designblok showcase, the project has expanded in scope. It explores the theme of courage from multiple perspectives and captures it through a variety of media.
“We began working on the assignment in the winter semester of 2024/25. Our studio was approached by the organizers of the Designblok showcase to see if our students would be interested in creating a photographic piece on the theme of ‘courage.’ It was such an interesting idea that we decided to expand and further develop it,” says Alena Kotzmannová, head of Photography Studio II, about the exhibition. She saw this assignment as a challenge—not only because of the prestige of the collaboration, but above all for the value of self-reflection. For many, reflecting on what they personally consider to be courageous is an act of courage in itself. She gave her students space for mutual discussion, personal perspectives, and opinions. She did not influence them through her own sometimes controversial viewpoints or by dictating the media used. “This task ultimately focused not only on the artistic interpretation of the theme, but also provided great insight—both for the authors in relation to themselves, and for us in relation to them,” adds studio assistant Karin Zadrick.
The exhibition Courage at the UM Gallery presents a collection of works that explore, from various perspectives, the themes of fear, pushing boundaries, and discovering one’s own strength. Here, courage is understood not only as a heroic act, but also as a series of small, quiet decisions. It can be seen in the struggle with illness, coming to terms with family history, or assertively resisting external pressure and handling a situation according to one’s own choices.
“Just as the perspectives on what constitutes courage for young creators are diverse, so too is the range of media used to interpret it. Visitors will encounter a range of media, including digital prints, analog photographs, videos, installations, and experimental approaches to image-making. The students found support for realizing their projects through collaboration with FUJIFILM CZ s.r.o., which provided both material and financial assistance,” adds the exhibition curator Svetlana Malina.
As part of the accompanying program, there will be the launch of the studio publication ONE / In the impossibility of seeing everything, I observe more, published by UMPRUM Press. In addition to a series of photographs, it features a collage of texts by the concept authors Alena Kotzmannová and Karin Zadrick, in dialogue with selected texts by the students, complemented by a theoretical essay by Jiří Melzmuf. The unique design was created by students of the Studio of Graphic Design and Visual Communication, Kateřina Pravdová and Ondřej Mazanec. The book is both a reflection and a result of the collaborative and team-based process. Together, they succeeded in creating a mutual dialogue that led to a visual synthesis, concentrated in a single publication.
The exhibition Courage at UM Gallery not only shows the many meanings courage can take on, but also demonstrates how enriching a study at UMPRUM can be. It is evidence of the maturity of the young creators, reflected not only in their thinking but also in the quality of their work. The exhibition, which is also part of the Designblok showcase, can be visited until October 12th.
Curator: Světlana Malina
Leadership of the Studio of Photography II: Alena Kotzmannová and Karin Zadrick
Exhibiting students: Eda Babák, Radka Čejdíková, Richenza Detwiler, Klára Dostálová, Vavřinec Doubek, Tina Khuntsaria, Hana Kubrichtová, Mikuláš Mahr, Jan Merc,Šimona Němečková, Yuliya Ni, Stanislav Palát, Miriam (MIMI) Pružincová, Lukáš Skála, David Stejskal, Ondřej Uhlík, Apolena Typltová & Ondřej Zavřel
Graphic design: Karolína Kubišová
Installation design: Mikuláš Procházka
Production: Sofia Artemeva, and Šárka Váňová
