Culture this week: Boundary-pushing theater and Central European film

Outsider art|The newly opened exhibit No Sentiment at DOX features the works of Tomáš Měšťánek, a “voluntary outsider” among Czech artists. Running until May 21, the exhibition will present paintings, sketches, and drawings showing “drunks of late-night bars and damsels in distress, the colors of film posters and the blues of dark alleys, the crowded ashtrays of station pubs and boxers.”

Czech illustrator|The Villa Pellé Gallery opens on Feb. 28 a new exhibit devoted to Czech writer, journalist, draftsman, and illustrator of children's books Ondřej Sekora. Called Ondřej Sekora - Known and unknown, the exhibition, which runs until May 14, is based on the illustrator's famous and lesser-known book illustrations, his newspaper drawings and caricatures, as well as puppets created according to Sekor's designs.

Best of Czech design|An exhibition at Česká spořitelna Gallery presents the works of the winners and finalists of all categories of the Czech Grand Design Awards 2022. The best product, fashion, jewelry and graphic designers, photographers, illustrators and manufacturers are on display until April 10. Read more in our article.

Humans and nature|Award-winning Czech dancer and artist Kristián Mensa, also known as Mr. Kriss, has recently opened a new art exhibition at Café Nona, close to Prague’s National Theater, that runs until March 18. The well-known dancer, who won the 2019 edition of the Czech “Red Bull Dance Your Style” competition, will present 20 audiovisual pieces of artwork that reflect the beauty of nature while showing the negative effect that people can have on the planet. Read more in our article.

Theater festival|A showcase of 35 theaters presented across 21 festival stages, the Malá Inventura Festival is a retrospective of the most outstanding premieres of the past year in the field of new theater. Performances take place until March 1 at venues that include Alfred ve dvoře / Motus, Divadlo X10, MeetFactory, PONEC and the National Galler's Trade Fair Palace. Many performances are language-barrier free and there are numerous family-friendly shows and accompanying activities planned.

Boundary-pushing theater| Commander is at DOX on Feb. 27, 28 and March 1. A blending of physical theater and audiovisual artwork, which explores the online radicalization of children and youth, the performance is based on authentic dialogues from real chats of an extremist online group run by a thirteen-year-old boy operating under the nickname “Commander.”

Pianos for schools|Legendary Slovak band No Name will hold five concerts, the proceeds of which go to support the Piano for Schools Project Foundation. The first one, which is on Feb. 28 at the Bořislavka Centrum, will see the band play their biggest hits in a piano-dominated special arrangement. The purchase of tickets will support elementary art schools in their endeavor to buy a new piano. 

Documentary on Ukraine|The Globe Bookstore and Café will screen Vaclav Müller's new Czech documentary Slaying the Dragon on Feb. 27. The documentary, which focuses on the first 100 days of Russia's invasion from the unique perspective of the MA Theatre troupe in Prague, will be accompanied by a Q&A session and a Fundraiser for Ukraine. Half of the sales during the event will go to the Fundraiser, together with donations.

Central European films|The 3KinoFest Central European Film Festival celebrates a decade of existence this year with a retrospective of some of its best films from Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czechia (with English subtitles) running until March 4 at Kino Světozor and the Municipal Library.