Theater scenography festival to transform Prague's Holešovice market this year

The world’s biggest festival of theater scenography, the Prague Quadrennial (PQ) Performance of Design and Space, will be held from June 8 to 18 this year, Culture Minister Martin Baxa announced Tuesday alongside the event organizers.

The Holešovice market (Holešovická tržnice) complex will host the event for the first time, which all also include educational talks on theater, and workshops for students and designers.

Exhibitions and interactive performances will also be held in the National Gallery's Trade Fair Palace in Prague 7 and at the Academy of Performing Arts at Malostranské náměstí.

The theme of the festival – held every four years since 1967 – is “rare,” designed to show the uniqueness of art. PQ art director Markéta Fantová has said that this year’s offering will reflect the impact of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine on the artistic community.

One exhibition, for example, will show people’s enhanced perception of nature amid the pandemic. Another will present dreaming as being the only way out of mandatory quarantine. 

The event will feature over 100 different exhibitions from more than 60 different countries. It will also offer artistic performances in the streets of Prague.

The 2019 edition of the PQ featured 8,000 participants from 106 countries.

Awards will be given for various categories, including for the best stage design, most-promising student talent, and best theater costume.

The overall award – the Golden Triga – is awarded to different countries. The 2019 winner was North Macedonia, and Estonia took home the award in 2015.

The general manager of PQ Michaela Buriánková said the PQ has, since its beginning, transformed into a festival attended by thousands of students and theater artists from all over the world.