Where to Go for Culture in Prague? MAG PAPER Has a Last-Minute Tip for You
Summer may be slowly coming to an end, but there is still time for one more cultural stop. Until August 30, Galerie Rudolfinum is hosting DATAS: The Data and the Sovereign, an exhibition exploring one of the most pressing questions of our time: who controls our data, and with it, our personal freedom?
Who is in control?
Data is everywhere. What we watch, search for, buy or share creates a digital footprint that can influence much more than the content appearing on our feeds. DATAS: The Data and the Sovereign brings together contemporary art, philosophy and technology to explore how algorithms, automation, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructures are reshaping personal autonomy as well as society as a whole.
The exhibition does not stop at questions of privacy. It also touches on algorithmic decision-making, cybersecurity, surveillance and the increasing power of technological systems that often operate beyond direct democratic control. In other words, if data has become a new form of power, who does that power really belong to?
From data centres to our own identities
Curated by Lívia Nolasco-Rózsás, the exhibition is divided into three thematic sections. Shadows of Leviathan looks at data as a tool of power, algorithmic governance and cybersecurity. Islands of Disobedience shifts the focus towards the physical infrastructure behind the digital world — from energy networks and data centres to undersea cables — while also addressing its environmental impact. The final section, Songs of Refusal, turns back to the individual and asks how much autonomy we can preserve in a world increasingly shaped by profiling, prediction and surveillance.
This is not a traditional gallery experience either. The exhibition combines interactive works, film and software art, translating abstract questions around digital power into something tangible, visual and, at times, immersive. Participating artists include aaajiao, Nina Davies, Dorota Gawęda and Eglė Kulbokaitė, Flaka Haliti, Rudolf Samohejl and Jonas Staal.
A last-minute cultural plan
DATAS: The Data and the Sovereign is on view at Galerie Rudolfinum only until August 30, 2026. The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM, with extended opening hours until 8 PM on Thursdays, and admission is voluntary.
So if you are looking for one more reason to spend the end of summer surrounded by art, consider this your sign. The exhibition may deal with questions rooted in the digital world, but their consequences are becoming increasingly difficult to separate from our everyday lives.
