Image: Galérie Benedikta Rejta
Galerie Benedikta Rejta in Louny is presenting 'Trommel', an exhibition devoted to František Kyncl (1934–2011), a prominent figure in Czech constructivist-oriented art whose work took on an international dimension after his emigration to Germany in 1968. The show runs from 12 June to 11 October 2026 and brings together paintings, drawings, objects and experimental works that link visual art with sound and music.
The exhibition focuses in particular on Kyncl’s so-called phonetic paintings, created between 1979 and 1985 using the artist’s self-designed rotating drum, 'Trommel'. In these works, Kyncl translated rhythm, ambient noise and musical recordings into layers of colour and gesture. According to the gallery, the exhibition includes not only the works themselves but also the original drum and authentic sound recordings used in his creative process.
Kyncl’s practice is presented through a broad selection that moves from structural paintings and drawings to spatial objects and sound-based experiments. The gallery describes him as a significant representative of constructivist-oriented art, and the exhibition frames his work as one that consistently crossed disciplinary boundaries. The emphasis on sound places the show within a wider project at the gallery that is opening its space to acoustic art.
The exhibition also connects to the gallery’s collection. Galerie Benedikta Rejta notes that the project follows a major expansion of its holdings through the acquisition of a group of Kyncl’s works in 2025, supported by the Acquisition Fund of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. That recent addition gives the exhibition a direct institutional context inside the gallery’s own collection and research focus.
Curated by Monika Immrová, 'Trommel' is part of a two-exhibition summer programme. Alongside Kyncl’s show, Galerie Benedikta Rejta is also presenting 'Zvukové projekty' by Martin Janíček, which likewise runs from 12 June to 11 October 2026. The gallery says the pair of exhibitions continues a project that expands the possibilities of exhibition space toward interactive and multisensory engagement through sound.
The gallery’s announcement says the combined project loosely follows its earlier exhibition trilogy 'KRÁSA-HRA-DUŠE' and adds sound to the visual experiences usually expected in an art gallery. For 'Trommel', that means not only a survey of Kyncl’s painted and sculptural work, but also the presence of the artist’s own instrument-like device and archival audio material tied to the making of the phonetic paintings. The exhibition is on view at Galerie Benedikta Rejta in Louny until 11 October 2026.
