Doors open: 15:30
Event starts: 16:00
Location: The Hang-Out 070 (center of The Hague)
Performances by Rah Naqvi, Yun Lee & Marcelo Daza
Hosted and moderated by Tarim Nduma Flach
Reserve Tickets HERE or email bartalk.dh@gmail.com

What does masculinity mean to us? What parts seduce us and what parts hurt us? Aside from the more obvious associations, where do we locate in it tenderness, fraternity, boyish innocence, joy? What is masculinity actually and who owns it?

We will look at these questions through two performances “Soft Touch Men” by Naqvi, and “Masked Rituals” by Yun Lee & Marcelo. Following the performances, Tarim Nduma Flach will guide us through discussions amongst the audience and the artists.

Soft Touch Men by Rah Naqvi



In this collaborative work, Rah Naqvi brings to surface a tradition, an age-old practice brought to the public eye as a space for trans refuge.

A stage is set mimicking an environment similar to that of a male saloon.
In a vulnerable exchange with a local barber, the artist deconstructs a masculinity that feels otherly and creates a retribution ritual that is of song and service, sung while accepting touch.

Male saloons are performative spaces in themselves. While grooming is central to its timeless existence, it is also a habitat for care practices, gossip, and a temporary refuge from the hyper masculine gaze. A forgiving space that allows for care between male bodies receiving tenderness and escape as ritualistic offerings that come with the regular services offered here.

Masked Rituals by Yun Lee & Marcelo Daza

In “Masked Rituals” two fighters (Marcelo Daza and Yun Lee) engage in drills and rituals of protection before facing off in a fight to exhaustion. The performance exploits elements of boxing such as drills, ring walks and stare downs to explore spectrums of masculinity and the homoerotic tension that exist within the sport. 

Through this, the fighters navigate the lines between attraction and repulsion, intimacy and violence. 

The fight is accompanied by an increasingly surreal commentary which gradually shifts from narration to generated text on capitalist masculinity, eventually melting into a cinematic soundtrack as the fighters begin to collapse. In essence, “Masked Rituals” is a fight for and against masculinity.


Logo and poster made by Zinmong
MASC™ is presented by BARTALK and made possible with the generous support of The Hang-Out 070