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Core of Genesis
Wrestling Match by Liminal Beast of Prey

Location: Square in front of Rotes Rathaus, corner Karl-Liebknecht-Straße / Spandauer Straße

Artists / Performers: Asya Ashman, Emma Adler, Nobutaka Shomura, Janne Kummer, Emilia Kuryłowicz, Oskar Pawełko, Dan Su, Julian Wyrag, and FRZNTE, as well as several surprise guests

Core of Genesis is an artistic wrestling performance that addresses current global political concerns. With the help of humor, storytelling, choreography, and combat tricks, the collective Liminal Beast of Prey creates an unconventional show chock-full of energy that provides space for often-invisible narratives, celebrates queer identities and expresses post-capitalist desires. In the “Bermuda Triangle” between the Rotes Rathaus, the Neptunbrunnen, and the Marx-Engels-Forum, in front of the ‘gates’ of retailers such as TK Maxx and Decathlon, as well as in the shadow of the TV tower, the “liminal beast” slips into the cracks of the bizarre urban realities surrounding Alexanderplatz.

Six wrestling personas, each representing a special natural and supernatural force, clash in allegorical fights that lead up to a grand finale, in which they all unite to defeat the super-villain: Re-Captcha – the AI offspring of Silicon Valley tech-bros. Each battle addresses various socio-political problems, such as right-wing technocracy, climate change, extractivist economy, and digital dependency.

Featured figures include: Toxic Butterfly whose toxic traits are both physical and psychological; BBL Data Disturbia who perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards through their addiction to digital content and plastic surgery; Sunami, a water being who is equally nurturing and dangerous; Boa Constructa, the serpent-leader of the cult of exponential capitalist growth manifested in omnipresent construction sites; and Grandpa Earth, the personified planet, tired but rebellious in the face of violence.

In between the rounds, a moderatrix, Corax Cortisol (aka Janet), along with Bill, the hype man, introduces the subsequent set of fighters, sometimes interrupted by some unruly wrestlers. Scenes from the show’s script meet rehearsed choreographies as well as improvised moments and spontaneous comments that at times involve the audience.

Liminal Beast of Prey is a constantly evolving queer wrestling performance collective consisting of a fluid team of multidisciplinary artists. Initiated by choreographer and dancer Anna Posch, Core of Genesis was newly developed for Art in the Underground 2022/23 and is headed by artists Emilia Kuryłowicz, Julian Wyrag, Asya Ashman and Emma Adler. The show was created collaboratively by the whole cast, also including: Janne N. Kummer, Nobutaka Shomura, Dan Su and Oskar Pawełko.