23. 1.–14. 2. 2026
UM Gallery, Technological Center of UMPRUM, Mikulandská 134/5, Prague 1
Opening reception: January 22, 2026, from 6:00 PM
Due to the renovation of the main UMPRUM building at Jan Palach Square, the UM Gallery has been relocated to the UMPRUM Technology Center on Mikulandská Street. In the generous space of the entrance hall, the first exhibition to be presented will be the sound exhibition More-than-human Agora, which directly thematizes the hall’s space.
The exhibition, created in collaboration with students from UMPRUM and AVU, builds on the teaching and artistic practice of Sláva Sobotovičová and Jonáš Richter. Both have long worked at UMPRUM exploring voice, text, and performativity.
The artists interpret the vestibule of the Technology Center as a contemporary update of the ancient agora – a space for contact, listening, and negotiation. Their project presents a multi-channel sound installation that works with sound directionality, distance, and channel synchronization.The exhibition’s soundscape alternates between different modes and features voices from a wide range of entities, not necessarily human. It draws on architectural cues of space and timing, attunes to non-human phenomena, speaks on behalf of others, and foregrounds the physical effects of sound. The work also pays attention to gaps in translation and moments of misunderstanding.
The exhibition is framed by a critical look at today’s multiple crises and the question of how a shared reality can be shaped amid a plurality of voices. It understands listening as an immersive, sensitizing practice that replaces the certainty of observation with a willingness to hear what is usually unheard. The project is grounded in the ideals of acoustic justice, where listening is a form of attention and recognition. Here, acoustics becomes a framework for challenging power structures and cultivating empathy toward other species, entities, and environments.
More-than-human Agora is therefore not just an exhibition, but above all a process of listening. It frames listening as an immersive, sensitizing, and supportive principle that challenges the usual certainty and distance of visual perception.
Artists: Žaneta Bartáková, Kindred Haller, Julie Hanuliaková, Ondřej Konrád, Taber Kotík, Anna Šípová and Kateřina Šípová.
Concept & Pedagogical Leadership: Jonáš Richter and Sláva Sobotovičová
Graphic Design: Šimon Jan
