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The festival’s 26th edition includes an exhibition of contemporary art, theater, workshops, a festival school of arts management, public discussions, performances for children, ensembles from the Czech Republic and abroad, and much more.
“The festival has always brought life to unique spaces such as the Desfours Palace, the Bubeneč sewage treatment plant, the ČKD Karlín factory hall, and many others. Because last year’s festival had to be shortened to three days, we did not take full advantage of the venue’s potential. This year, you can look forward to seeing previously hidden corners of this Art Nouveau building. The themes introduced by the question ‘Reality do you need me?’ form the main guiding line for the two dozen curators and more than sixty artists who are putting together an extensive exhibition at the old school building. Their focus will be on exploring reality, including the forms it takes, possible ways of grasping reality, and how it is presented by social networks and the media,” says Denisa Václavová, one of the festival’s organizers and curators.
Debris
The festival opens with Un spectacle documentaire de Superamas: L’homme qui tua Mouammar Kadhafi, which was part of the the main program at this year’s prestigious theater festival in Avignon. The Slovak dance performance L. Bobalik, M. Hriešik: Timeout Burnout explores the subject of mental exhaustion, and also coming from Slovakia is the ensemble Debris. Meanwhile, Dutch artist Johannes Bellinkx’s Reverse takes participants on a non-conformist tour presenting a very different reality of Prague.
There will also be several Czech premieres. Vosto5 invites audiences to their latest piece, Sentimental, which they have subtitled “Come and Have a Real Beer at a Simulated Festival.” The artists’ collective Nesladim, which seeks to destigmatize mental illness through theater, presents Day Blinds Me, Evening Soothes, Night Hides Me, and director Zuzana Šklíbová presents the performance El Padre with Antonie Formanová in the lead. 4+4 Days in Motion has also thought of children, for whom we are planning six performances.
M. Hriešik: Timeout Burnout
This year’s exhibition is curated by Lucie Drdová, Jiří Ptáček, Marie Foltýnová, Tereza Severová, Vasil Artamonov, Marek Meduna, Zuzana Blochová, Vít Havránek, Zbyněk Baladrán, Barbora Špičáková, Lenka Sýkorová, and many others. The musical program features performances by Zatrestband and František Skála & Provodovjané and includes a festival of young bands.
This year’s 4+4 Days in Motion will also explore contemporary art on the theoretical level. For instance, through the conference The Role of Artist, by presenting the Věra Jirousová Awards for beginning and established critics of visual art, and through the festival school of Arts Management, which is intended for students, artists, and representatives of cultural organizations. The school’s goal is to offer participants the chance to meet with renowned experts in various fields of artistic production (fundraising, law, PR, marketing, personal development, coaching). Applications are accepted until 31 July online at https://ctyridny.cz/festivalova-skola-2021/
Un spectacle documentaire de Superamas: L’homme qui tua Mouammar Kadhafi
26th INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART
4+4 Days in Motion 2021 | 9 – 26 September 2021
New school in Strašnice (V Olšinách 69, Praha 10 – Strašnice), Vzlet (Holandská 1, Praha 10-Vršovice)
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Web: www.ctyridny.cz
Diederik Peeters
