A new gallery season begins at LACE with its fifth Emerging Curators exhibition, the group show SOUND OFF: Silence + Resistance. Curated by Abigail Raphael Collins, who is an artist herself, the show takes a variation on the topicality of political protest, examining not only the inalienable right and civic duty to speak out against injustice, but the complementary power of performative silence as a way of pushing back against industrial oppression and reclaiming personal dominion. Conceiving of silence as a way to honor the inarticulable, defy demands of production, prioritize deep listening, and refuse to incriminate, works by about 10 artists/activists are displayed alongside documentation of historical corollaries.

Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, 6522 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; opening reception: Wed., Jan. 8, 7-10 p.m.; on view through March 15; free. welcometolace.org.