This year’s final Dusted exhibition features puppets from three performances, presenting in brief glimpses the achievements of Jože Pengov (1916–1968), director, first animator of the Pavliha hand puppet, and the first artistic director of the City Puppet Theatre (today, Ljubljana Puppet Theatre), who had the vision and the touch to establish the foundations of contemporary Slovenian puppetry, and take it abroad.

“Our good old Pengov was terribly meticulous. He really knew what he was doing. We haven’t had a director like him since. I mean it from the bottom of my heart! He was the artistic director, but he mostly directed. He was very strict, and we were afraid that we would do something wrong. Not to hold it against him, he was a perfectionist. And rightly so!” (Metka Macarol Hiti, narrator)

The exhibition includes puppets from the following performances: Puss in Boots (1953), Chasing the Bear (1957), and the Pavliha puppet from Hard-Heartedness Punished or Parsley’s Mother is in Debt (1957). From 27 November 2018 to 10 January 2019 in the lobby of the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre Grand Stage, one hour before every performance and on prior request.

Further reading (only available in Slovenian)