Theater Installation on Bullying Opens at Latvian National Museum During Homo Novus Festival

From September 5 to September 20, 2026, the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga will host "Girls to the Right, Boys to the Left," a theater installation by Czech artists Sodja Zupanc Lotker and Tadeáš Říha. The exhibition, part of the Homo Novus festival, occupies the third-floor lobby of the main building at Jaņa Rozentāla laukums 1. The installation addresses the pervasive issues of bullying, body shaming, and identity-based discrimination that individuals often first encounter in school hallways and locker rooms. It features nearly six-meter-tall puppets representing real people's stories, accompanied by audio narratives drawn from documentary testimonies. Visitors are encouraged to sit with the puppets, listen, and optionally write down their own experiences. The work premiered at the City of Prague Museum, and the Latvian edition incorporates local stories collected in collaboration with the online magazine Satori. The installation is designed to provoke reflection on acceptance, dignity, and belonging, while also acknowledging the potential for emotional distress, providing crisis helpline information. Recommended for audiences aged 10 and over, the piece aims to foster empathy and understanding through the act of listening.