PQAU23

Leading this year’s Australian Contingent of the Prague Quadrennial (PQAU) will be the talented and highly accomplished artist and designer Jacob Nash. Known for his ongoing work with Bangarra Dance theatre as well as his stunning interventions (as lead designer for Sydney Festival and elsewhere), Jake will share his wealth of experience and perspective as a First Nations artist.

“As a First Nations Australian designer I am continually decolonising theatre spaces and creating performance spaces that culturally respond to the story being told” — Jacob Nash

PQAU23 will be an installation that speaks to how Jake interprets Country and creates landscapes for live performance. Working with collaborators, Jennifer Irwin and Steve Francis, the work will bring together some of the most iconic design elements from Bangarra’s repertoire to create a space that talks to the ancient stories held within First Nations culture in Australia and explores how they exist in a contemporary form when not on country.

This space will not be a space for performance but one that holds the memory of performance, Country and culture. Audiences will be able to walk within this scared space, not as observers, but as participants exploring the space where ancient and contemporary culture collide.

Creative Team

Curator and Lead Artist Jacob Nash
Consulting Curator Anna Tregloan
Producers Erin Milne and Xavier O’Shannessy
Contributing Artists Stephen Page, Jennifer Irwin, Steve Francis
Additional Curation Jo Briscoe
Production Support Abe Watson
Presenting Partner (Student Exhibition) Victorian College of the Arts

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and the NSW Government through Create NSW.

If you’re planning on attending PQ23, we’d love to hear from you at xavier@bureauofworks.com.au.

Upcoming Dates