Angelica Liddell’s provocative 'Liebestod' to have local premiere this weekend
Spanish multidisciplinary artist and theater director Angelica Liddell has come to Korea with her searing and provocative play, “Liebestod. The Smell of Blood Does Not Leave My Eyes. Juan Belmonte.”
“Liebestod,” which premiered at the 2021 Avignon Festival, marks the third installment in Belgian director Milo Rau’s “History of Theatre” series. The work draws on the legendary Spanish bullfighter Juan Belmonte and the “Liebestod” (Love-Death) from Wagner’s opera “Tristan und Isolde.”
Death, blood, bullfighting — each element, Liddell says, converges on the theme of mortality, because they carry symbols that represent the edge of life.
“When I first received the proposal, I was asked about my history in theater, and I realized that a significant portion of my work has involved themes of (blood and) death,” said Liddell in a group interview with reporters on Wednesday.
Now 58, Liddell is known for her uncompromising theatrical language — body-centered, spiritually charged and unafraid of transgression — which often involves bloodletting on stage.
“My perspective on life is through death. I imagine dying every day, and through that, I contemplate life,” she said.
In “Liebestod,” she explores existential boundaries between love and death, art and spirituality, intertwining them with Catholic mysticism and acts of self-sacrificial performance.
“Being Spanish, bullfighting came naturally. So I took Belmonte, who shone brightest during the golden age of the 20th century, as my starting point," she said of "Liebestod."
To note, this is not theater for the faint-hearted. Onstage are arresting images such as a giant bull’s carcass and somewhat disturbing scenes of self-harm. At one point, Liddell cuts her leg with a razor. Due to the intensity of the content, admission is restricted to audiences aged 20 and older.
Liddell said the reason she undertakes such extreme performances that push her body to its physical and mental limits, is to invite the audience to “encounter something artistic” and experience an “emotional storm.”
“I believe the body, when pushed to its limits, reveals a truth of beauty that transcends logic,” said Liddell. “I advocate for this kind of artistic madness, something you can’t find in everyday life. It’s not a truth tied to law or legality. It’s the truth of beauty.”
In her view, contemporary society is plagued by a hunger for approval. “We’re in a time when everyone seeks recognition. People do anything to belong to a group, to get ‘likes,’ to be loved by others. But all of that is a lie,” she said. “You can’t live just by liking or being liked.”
“I live with my demons,” she continued. “I want people to see their own demons, the ones that appear when you're lying alone at night. I want every audience member to face their own monsters. My work strips the mask from those who feel no shame. I want my work to be a catharsis, for people to confront the monsters within themselves.”
"Liebestod" runs Friday through Sunday at the National Theater of Korea’s Daloreum Theater. The play is performed in Spanish with Korean subtitles.
A post-show talk with production director Gumersindo Puche and actor Patrice Le Rouzic will follow Saturday’s performance.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
