Combo, ALMARE and Gang of Ducks present a live performance by bela, an artist who fuses Korean pungmul tradition and extreme vocal performance in a ritual of queer rage and pain.

The evening is opened by Manymanybow, an alias of @y1cong_o an independent curator working at the crossroads of queer cultures and East and Southeast Asian grassroot communities in contemporary art and music scenes; it is presented in synergy with Pessima, a nonprofit association, publishing house and contemporary art magazine that supports the growth of trans and non-binary projects and artists.

⟡ Bela: Hailing from Paju, South Korea, bela is aə musician and performance artist based in Berlin notə for electronic music performances that fuse pungmul-a Korean folk performance tradition rooted in agricultural traditions and linked to social movements of the past-and extreme music-inspired vocals, which the artist blends into a ritual dedicated to queer anger and pain. Her debut album Noise and Cries 굉음과 울음 (2024, Unsound/Subtext) is a fierce reflection on the precariousness of life in South Korea, queer identity, the breakdown of relationships, and resistance. Taking a whole range of elements from the Korean musical tradition such as Jungtaryeong Pansori, Hwimori, and Dongsalpuri, and using lyrics that deconstruct the reality of narak-the infinite abyss in the Buddhist worldview-Bela highlights the hypocrisy and brutality of patriarchal wisdom.

→ Tickets here

Wednesday, March 5 - from 9 p.m.

COMBO, Ripa di Porta Ticinese 83 - Milan