LOS ANGELES — The Tokyo-based French filmmaker, Axel Abysse, this month is debuting the documentary and interview “Rencontre CULturelle” about a high-culture/lowdown kink stage performance in collaboration with multimedia artist/designer WOO YEAH that shook Seoul in 2019.
Watch it on AxelAbysse.com starting Friday, November 26th.
It started with a “stupid idea." WOO YEAH missed the hedonism and freedom of Berlin on his return to Korea, and the self-described sex addict planned a performance mixing an in-your-face blend of culture and desire. Two statuesque nude women flank the stage as a lone player performs classical piano music. Abysse perches atop a platform with his ass up as Woo Yeah proceeds to lube a gloved hand and fist him. It was a daring move in culturally staid Seoul, but one the artist needed to express.
Throughout the half-hour documentary (in French, with subtitles in English) Axel and WOO ponder the feeling of being outside one’s culture, of statelessness.
"Add in the balance between accepted artistic norms and expressing pure desire and what emerges is a fascinating artifact of an audacious, if 'stupid' idea," the filmmaker said.
Abysse, always happy to challenge his viewers, explains the genesis and evolution of “Rencontre CULturelle”:
“What I can say about it: I flew to Seoul in 2019 to join this project. WOO YEAH is a Korean artist and fashion designer. I met him in Tokyo before, as we share common interest in fetishism. He and his collaborators created this show, mixing piano classical concert and fisting/bdsm performance (leather, shibari rope bondage, wax play) for a live audience. WOO explains in our interview that it was a difficult moment for him. He was feeling stuck in South Korea where fetish and gay life are very limited, and sexuality very taboo in general. He missed living in Europe, more specifically Berlin, where he used to lead a very hedonistic life.
"This pornographic documentary was first thought up by team member and filmmaker Wook, who captured both the live performance, the rehearsal, and the audio conversation between WOO YEAH and me. I put it all together and I’m quite humbled but excited to finally share it with a large audience. It was also captured through Taiwanese art photographer Manbo Key’s lens. I believe the photos and the movie might be part of a gallery exhibition in the near future.
"I also have another very special project coming with Manbo, possibly in December...”
Event creator Woo Yeah was excited to present this transgressive performance:
"When I organized this performance, it was my own sort of farewell party for all my precious friends in South Korea and in the world as well, the ones who made my life less painful and more durable.
"It was a bit like 'Fuck you, South Korea! You oppress and suppress but we, the perverts, the curious and the daring have existed and will exist.' And my friends stripped, played the piano and most importantly, got fisted for me!"
Woo Yeah continued, "I’m not actually 100% sure but I’ve heard that performing immoral or sexual activities openly in South Korea can lead you to the legal actions, so we had to plan this a bit discreetly. We did not even promote this event on any open internet space but only from mouth to mouth and only among acquaintances of acquaintances...
"So, guess how surprised I was when about 65 people showed up at my flat!"
