TOKYO — Indie fetish content creator and self-styled "poet of pornography" Axel Abysse has released "Rencontre Culturelle," described as a documentary about a 2019 "high-culture and lowdown kink stage performance" in collaboration with Seoul-based multimedia artist and designer Woo Yeah.
A rep explained the project started with what the artists facetiously termed "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," the rep said. "Two statuesque nude women flank the stage as a lone player performs classical piano music. Axel perches atop a platform with his ass open as Woo Yeah proceeds to lube a gloved hand and fist him," the rep noted. "It was a daring move in culturally staid Seoul, but one the artist needed to express."
The 30-minute doc is in French with English subtitles; a basic translation of the title into English is "cultural meeting."
"Throughout the doc, 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 rep said.
Abysse recalled that he'd previously met the artist in Toyko and agreed to fly to Seoul in 2019 to take part in the project, due in part to "a shared interest in fetishism."
"He and his collaborators created this show, mixing piano classical concert, fisting and 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," Abysse said. "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 the live performance, the rehearsal and the audio conversation between Woo Yeah and me," Abysse added. "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."
Abysse teased that he has "another very special project" with Manbo coming up shortly.
Woo Yeah enthused about the "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," they said. "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."
"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," they continued. "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," the artist added.
"Rencontre Culturelle" premieres today on AxelAbysse.com; follow Axel Abysse on Twitter.
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Earlier this summer, Abysse released "The Experiment" featuring Syusaku Nohara, described as an homage to classic science-fiction and horror.