PQ is initiated by the Ministry of Culture Czech Republic and organized by the Arts and Theatre Institute.
PQ aims to create opportunities for the presentation of contemporary scenography and performance design, to map and support innovative work in this field, and to provide an inclusive space for dialogue between professionals, students, and the wider public.
The Prague Quadrennial was founded in 1967 in Prague and is held every four years without interruption. At each of its editions, participants from up to eighty countries gather in Prague to present their work in the field of performance design and space. Although the origins of PQ can be traced back to the São Paulo Art Biennial in Brazil, today PQ combines elements of both an exhibition and a live arts festival, and its programme typically includes hundreds of exhibitions, installations, performances, workshops, and professional discussions.
As a festival event held every four years, PQ consists of several programme sections, both competitive and non-competitive. Some of them, such as the traditional Exhibition of Countries and Regions and the Student Exhibition, are curated by representatives of the participating countries and regions, while other programme sections are prepared by the international PQ curatorial team. Each edition of PQ is unique, and its form grows out of the vision of the artistic leadership.
In between its editions, PQ functions as a continuous platform that creates opportunities for international exchange in the field of scenography through special projects, artist residencies, symposia, and publications.
PQ 2023 in a nutshell
The last 15th edition of the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space took place between 8 and 18 June 2023. Exhibitions, lectures, performances, workshops and other parts of the programme took place in three main locations: the Holešovice Market, the Theatre Faculty of the Academy Performing Arts in Prague and the Trade Fair Palace of the National Gallery Prague, as well as dozens of public places in Prague.
During the eleven days, 2000 artists presented their work at PQ 2023, 11,000 accredited visitors actively participated in the event, and the performance and accompanying programme available for free in the public space reached over fifty thousand spectators.
