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Accompanying Programme to the Exhibition

13.09.2026. - 31.12.2026.

As part of the accompanying programme for the exhibition “The Unaccounted: Technologies of Life and the Human of the Future”, visitors will be invited to join curator-led tours of the exhibition, thematic discussions with researchers, philosophers, bioethics experts and specialists from other fields, as well as an educational programme for school students. The programme expands on the exhibition’s themes, exploring how science, medicine, technology and political power have shaped ideas about the human being, normality and difference. The talks and discussions will address the legacy of science and its ethical challenges, the contemporary relevance of Michel Foucault’s ideas, and the importance of preserving biological diversity and cultural heritage. Educational activities for young people will encourage them to critically assess information, discuss societal values and imagine a future in which scientific advances interact with empathy, inclusion and an understanding of diversity.

Curator-Led Tours of the Exhibition

September
13 September at 13:00 — curators Kaspars Vanags, Igors Gubenko and Māra Traumane

October
1 October at 16:30 — curators Kaspars Vanags, Igors Gubenko and Māra Traumane

After the tour, there will be a tasting of juice made from different apple varieties, followed by a discussion at the museum, “Wild Apples – Heritage Varieties and the Apple Trees of the Future”.

25 October at 13:00 — curators Kaspars Vanags and Māra Traumane

November
12 November at 16:30 — curators Kaspars Vanags, Anna Žabicka and Māra Traumane

Thematic tour “100 Years of Michel Foucault: A Declaration of Love”. To mark the centenary of the French philosopher Michel Foucault (1926–1984), exhibition curators Māra Traumane and Kaspars Vanags, together with lead researcher Anna Žabicka, will talk about their own “encounters” with Foucault and the influence of his ideas on the exhibition “The Unaccounted”.

The tour will be followed by a discussion at the museum, “A Philosophers’ Duel: For and Against”.

December
3 December at 16:30 — curators Kaspars Vanags and Igors Gubenko
13 December at 13:00 — curators Kaspars Vanags and Igors Gubenko

No advance registration is required for the tours.

Participation in the tours is included with a museum admission ticket: adults – EUR 5.00; students and seniors – EUR 3.00; school students – EUR 2.00.

Conversations at the Museum

Wild Apples – Heritage Varieties and the Apple Trees of the Future

1 October, 18:30–20:00

Presentation by artist Antje Majewski, followed by a discussion with Dr. biol. Laila Ikase, lead researcher at the Institute of Horticulture, and actor and apple grower Gatis Gāga.

The presentation and discussion are part of the “Wild Apples” project, created through a collaboration between German artist Antje Majewski and Polish conceptual artist Paweł Freisler. The project includes paintings, films, dried apples and apple sculptures, as well as more than 300 heritage-variety apple trees planted at locations associated with the project.

In her presentation, Majewski will discuss the art project and trace the spread of apples from wild apple forests in Kazakhstan—the genetic origin of every cultivated apple—to heritage apple varieties in Latvia and the approximately ten commercial cultivars that remain today, compared with the thousands of apple varieties that once existed across Europe. The artist argues that preserving as much diversity as possible among wild and heritage apple trees is an important prerequisite for the future survival of cultivated apples.

The presentation will be complemented by an insight into the diversity of Latvian apple varieties from Dr. biol. Laila Ikase, together with comments from actor and apple grower Gatis Gāga.

The lecture and discussion will be held in English.

From 18:00, visitors are invited to an introduction to the lecture featuring a tasting of juices made from different apple varieties.

The event is supported by the Goethe-Institut Riga.

Discussion: The Uncomfortable Legacy of Science. What Should We Do with Research from the Past?

14 October, 17:00–19:00

The event will feature short presentations by Signe Mežinska, Associate Professor at the University of Latvia and lead researcher at the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences; Jānis Vētra, Professor at Rīga Stradiņš University and lead researcher at the Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology; and Igors Gubenko, lead researcher at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Latvia.

Moderator: social anthropologist PhD sc. soc. Klāvs Sedlenieks, Associate Professor at Rīga Stradiņš University.

The discussion brings together experts in anthropology, bioethics, medical history and philosophy to consider the need to reassess Latvia’s scientific heritage. The exhibition “The Unaccounted” has drawn attention both to the influence of eugenic ideas on medicine and science in interwar Latvia and to the involvement of Latvian doctors in preparing reports used in repressive psychiatry during the Soviet period.

What should be the tasks involved in reassessing uncomfortable chapters in the history of science, and how can critical examination of the past be incorporated into university curricula and research, as well as museum and exhibition practices? At a time when leading European universities and cultural institutions are examining problematic aspects of their histories—reviewing the biographies of their founders, the provenance of collection objects and the archives of discredited scientific disciplines—the question arises as to the relevance and necessity of a similar process of reassessment in Latvia.

100 Years of Michel Foucault: A Philosophers’ Duel – Foucault: For and Against

12 November, 18:30–19:30

The ideas of French thinker Michel Foucault (1926–1984) had a transformative impact in the second half of the 20th century on the history of medicine, sexuality studies, political science, discourse analysis, science and technology studies, and other fields concerned with the relationship between knowledge and power. In his work, Foucault repeatedly addressed a wide range of “uncounted” groups—including psychiatric patients, sexual minorities, criminals, deviants and other “abnormal” people—critically examining the intersections of knowledge and power through which the collective identities of these groups have historically been constructed.

To mark the centenary of Foucault’s birth, two philosophers—Igors Gubenko, curator of the exhibition “The Unaccounted”, and Elvīra Šimfa, lead researcher at the University of Latvia—will discuss the continuing resonance of his ideas and their contested aspects.

Arbiter of the duel: Kaspars Vanags, curator of the exhibition “The Unaccounted”.

No advance registration is required for the talks.
Admission to the talks is free of charge.

Accessibility at the Museum

The talks will take place in the Conference Hall on the 1st floor.

More information about accessibility at the museum

Educational Programme for School Students at the Exhibition “The Unaccounted”

“What determines what society considers ‘normal’? How might science, technology, economic interests and political power influence our ideas about ourselves and those around us? While exploring the exhibition “The Unaccounted”, students will consider questions of values, acceptance of difference, social norms and choices concerning the future. Using a range of information sources and encountering different perspectives, students will learn to critically assess information, distinguish facts from opinions, analyse arguments and formulate their own proposals for what Latvia should look like in the future.

The programme is intended for students aged 16 and over.

Registration for the educational programme opens on 15 October 2026. To register, please complete the application form and send it to nodarbibas@mvm.gov.lv.

The programme develops critical thinking, argumentation, collaboration and information-literacy skills. It also encourages students to recognise different societal interests, discuss complex ethical questions and make considered decisions. Particular attention is paid to civic participation and understanding how individual choices and collective decisions can influence the future as a whole.

Exhibition “The Unaccounted: Technologies of Life and the Human of the Future”

The exhibition explores how ideas of progress have shaped perceptions of the abilities, value and health of human beings and other living organisms. It presents historical and contemporary examples, including attempts to classify and improve living nature, eugenic ideas, the lives of patients in psychiatric institutions, and contemporary possibilities offered by genetics, reproductive technologies and longevity technologies. The laboratory-like exhibition environment creates an interaction between historical artefacts, medical innovations and contemporary art. Focusing on life stories that do not fit within narrow frameworks of normality, “The Unaccounted” asks: in whose name, and to what extent with justification, do science, political power and technology seek to improve living nature? The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the importance of diversity, empathy and inclusion in a future shaped by scientific advances, but extending beyond them.

Museum General Sponsor:

Rietumu Banka

Supported by:

The Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ Foundation)