Co-produced by the National Theater Company of Korea and the Théâtre de Liège in Belgium

Strange Beauty: Artists’ Exploration of Beauty That’s a Little Strange

Yo-sup Bae, whose credits include such genre-defying works as Human Fuga and Hamlet Cantabile, poses a question about beauty. In response to his question, various artists—actors, choreographers, sound artists, and visual artists—have embarked upon the journey of Strange Beauty. Artists from different corners of the world, including Korea, Belgium, Democratic Republic of Congo/Belgium, Italy, France/Brazil—have come together to share their own concerns and sensibilities with regards to beauty as embraced in different cultures. Of the 1,700 catechetic questions or koans in Zen Buddhism, they’ve selected a few to train themselves, and continued their quest for beauty by travelling each other. 

Co-produced by the National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) and the Théâtre de Liège in Belgium, Strange Beauty is slated to premiere at the Spa Royal Festival in Belgium this August, before being presented to audiences in Korea in September. Only 15 performances are scheduled to take place at the Theater PAN! It’s time to open the door to the artists’ quest for 'beauty', which may be a little strange. 

Synopsis 
What is beauty? Where does beauty come from? Why does humanity or nature appear to pursue a sense of beauty? Strange Beauty presents various artists’ responses to such unanswerable self-recursive questions. Inspired by the koans in The Gateless Barrier that sought to reach beyond language and silence, the participating artists have approached these central questions through bodily senses. This improvisatory performance destroys the boundary between the conscious and the unconscious, and only follows eternal existence (nunc stans).

Directed by Yo-sup Bae

Yo-sup Bae founded the Tuida Theater Company, and worked on a number of plays for 20 years (2001~2020). In 2010, Bae left Seoul and moved to Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, where he created Arts Farm Tutbat and engaged with the local arts community. In 2021, he started a research group named Mudda that focused on exploring the boundaries between art and science. Just as good life gives rise to good art, he believes that good art can lead to good life. Bae continues to work hard without divulging the secret that uselessness is the essence of art. He likes to wander around the borders of art and play with dancers, musicians and artists, while at the same time seeking the experience of encountering each other through the body.

Major Works
Tree, Fish, Moon, Human Fuga, Bahuchara Mata: Beyond Binary, Hamlet Cantabile, and The Story of Hareuk