bela
- At the ZKM
- 2023
- Biography
Based in Berlin, bela (they/them) is an acclaimed musician and a performance artist associated with the mixed-media Sorrow Club event series in both Berlin and Seoul. Their breakthrough album »Guidelines« for the high-quality experimental label Éditions Appærent is a sensitive yet blisteringly constructed approach to the traditional Pungmul music of Korea, and was released to wide acclaim. In their performance, bela shapes pungmul into the ritual for queer rage and grief with sub-heavy distortions and cries.
They have performed in Berghain’s Säule for CTM Festival 2023, amongst numerous other fixtures, to high praise. They were selected as a member of this year’s Shape+ artist roster. bela supported Okkyung Lee, Pharmakon, and Eli Keszler - and they were invited to Rewire 2022, Unsound 2022, transmediale 2023, EVA International 2023, Unsafe+sounds 2023, Drifts Festival 2023, among others.
