Casa Asia collaborates with the Korean Cultural Center in Spain on the Barcelona premiere of the show MULJIL, performed by Elephants Laugh, a Korean collective that develops participatory projects connecting the performing arts with daily life and social experience. The performance is part of the Asian program of the Grec Festival 2026, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Wednesday, July 15 and Thursday, July 16 at 8:30 p.m. CEST
Ticket price: €29. Prior registration required
Organizer: Barcelona City Council, in collaboration with Casa Asia and the Korean Cultural Center in Spain
Venue: Teatre Lliure Montjuïc (Passeig de Santa Madrona, 40-46, Barcelona)
MULJIL, Elephants Laugh / Director: Jinyeob Lee / Text: Jaeuk Shin
The word MULJIL refers to the freediving practice of women from Jeju Island, Korea, who dive to collect various types of shellfish. These are the haenyeo, or “women of the sea,” who with each dive strive to hold their breath, staring death in the face before resurfacing, refreshed. This practice is their livelihood. Only those willing to dance with risk can know what lies beyond that fleeting moment of danger. Like these haenyeo, a series of everyday urban characters act with the water up to their necks, often combining freediving with daily activities. Submerged in transparent tanks, they inhabit a fragile threshold between breath and suspension, presence and disappearance. The work explores those moments when we confront mortality and, time and again, manage to emerge from the shadows.
Founded in 2009, Elephants Laugh is a Korean collective dedicated to participatory creations that establish connections between the performing arts and everyday life, building bridges between art and lived experience. Socially engaged, they focus on marginalized communities and question the social boundaries within which we navigate. The aim is to invite the audience to reflect on the subtleties of daily existence. The project also draws inspiration from the director’s encounters with marginalized communities to reflect on how social structures shape vulnerability, survival, and resilience in contemporary society.
Among the company’s most recent creations, in addition to MULJIL, are Neighborhood Museum, People from Doksan, Bodies in the Dark, and Cha Cha Cha.
Cast:
Director: Jinyeob Lee
Script: Jaeuk Shin
Cast: Hyun Sung Seo, Kwanghyun Ma, Joonbong Kim, Aéreo Lee
Sound Design: Jimmy Sert
Lighting Design: Hayoung Jeong
Costume Design: Gyonginn Kim
Set Design: Wonsuk Choi
Producer: Bongmin Choi
MULJIL, Elephants Laugh is a commission from the Ansan Urban Arts Festival and the Seoul Urban Arts Creation Center. The production is a collaboration with DOTS Production Group, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, KOFICE, and K-arts on the Go.