Mediating Performance (and) Curatorship

The Prague Quadrennial (PQ), the world’s largest exhibition of stage (performance) design, was held for the 13th time from 17-28 June 2015. This article outlines the historical development of PQ, from its “conceptual” beginnings in the 1930s and real beginnings in socialist Czechoslovakia, to the present day. Our focus is the variety of curatorial practices at PQ 2015 that perform the delicate process of “translation” of live performances into static exhibits and “mediation” between the stage (performing space) and the gallery (exhibition space), taking into account the transformations of the “art world” that is increasingly bringing those spaces together.