bela(KR)
Growing up in Seoul, bela was surrounded by traditional narratives that seemed to be at odds with their identity as a queer, non-binary person. Now based in Berlin they assure their place in the canon, blending pungmul, a form of Korean folk performance that includes drumming, dancing and singing, with cybernetic death metal vocals and razor-sharp beats, interpreting an elaborate diary of poems and slogans using the ever-evolving language of club music. It's the kind of radical deconstruction of obscured histories that's never been more urgent.
