DOX, the Center for Contemporary Art in Prague, has expanded and built a multifunctional hall called DOX+ designed by Petr Hájek Architects. It will be used for theatre, dance, music or performances. The hall with the capacity from 450 to 700 visitors embodies the fourth and last period of the expansion of DOX, which is going to be the biggest institution of more than 8,000 m2 focused on contemporary art in the Czech Republic, as director of the DOX Center Leoš Válka told the journalists today.

“The overall costs of all four periods of building the DOX extensive complex are about 460 million CZK, we needed to take a huge loan for the fourth period. However, the costs of building similar constructions abroad are up to four times higher,” Válka said.

The combination of a concert hall and a separate rehearsal room provides professional facilities for theatre and dance productions, film screenings, performances, concerts and conferences. The theatre company Farm in the Cave directed by Viliam Dočolomanský is going to find stable conveniences in the new DOX+ space and is going to stage the premiere of The Asylum.

As for the new spaces, DOX has expanded its working group, whose new members are Dočolomanský, the director of the documentary festival in Jihlava Marek Hovorka (film) and Petr Hájek (architecture).

“Our aim is not to adopt existing formats or duplicate the focus or program of established local institutions aimed at theatre, dance, music or film, but to create conditions for making new works,” said the member of the DOX+ programming team and the head of communication Michaela Šilpochová. “We are going to focus on authors, whose works include the perspective of contemporary society and whose thumbprint is unmistakable and authentic,” she added.

The new DOX+ hall with a rehearsal room completes the reconstructed six-floor building in the Poupětova street, which serves as operation facilities and the ARCHIP private university has its seat on three floors.

The DOX Center for Contemporary Art opened the door to the general public in 2008 for the first time. Architect Ivan Kroupa designed the project of the conversion of a former factory in Holešovice to a multifunctional hall. In 2011, another building with two exhibition spaces and an auditory was added. Five years later, the Gulliver Airship appeared as another form of space with events focused on literature.

dox.cz