About

Who we are

We are Cati & Boris. Since 2015, we have performed together as Koi Ku Nawa.

Our name comes from Japanese: koi means love, ku means pain, nawa means rope. For us, it is not just a name — it describes quite precisely what happens between us.

Rope is passion, craft and play. Intimacy and control. Trust and challenge. Tenderness and severity. Sometimes silent, sometimes loud in the body — even when the room is completely quiet.

In the beginning, our work was more traditionally influenced, often with kimono and a classic aesthetic. Over the years it became more reduced, more direct and closer to what it always truly was: a real session between two people.

What happens on stage does not come from playing a role. It comes from our connection, our dynamic and our desire to challenge the moment again and again.

What we do

Koi Ku Nawa is not a choreographed show. It is unscripted, live and real.

We create live sessions. That means: we share a language, experience and clear boundaries — but not a fixed sequence that simply gets repeated. Music, light, space, audience and the energy of the day shape where the session goes.

Our style connects Shibari, BDSM, fetish and gothic — minimalist, precise, Naka-inspired. We work with functional rope, clear body language, pain, intimacy, power exchange and silence. Every rope has a function: it supports, fixes, creates pressure or pain. Nothing is decoration. It is not about collecting as many spectacular poses as possible, but about tension, presence and impact.

An important part of every session is our love for experimentation: new setups, new little cruelties — always with a wink, always consensual, but rarely entirely innocent. We like it when an idea looks beautiful and feels just a little mean. And through it all, we do not take ourselves too seriously — it is and stays fun.

Depending on the event — and on the music — a session may begin quiet and heavy, condense, or tip into raw energy. The music sets the emotional stage. What a session never is: random.

Our attitude

For us, Shibari is not stage design. It is a tool for responsibility, trust and intensity.

We play on stage — and that play is real. The reactions are real. The effort is real. The shift in power is real. That is where the tension comes from, and it cannot be faked.

The audience is never a backdrop for us. Whoever watches becomes a silent part of the scene — not by joining in, but by witnessing. Some of what happens between us only unfolds its full intensity in front of witnesses: shame needs eyes on it.

Safety, consent and clear communication are the foundation. Not as buzzwords, but as the condition that allows us to go this far.

Whether ten or a thousand people: we play large stages just as we play small clubs — with the same intensity. What matters is not the size of the room, but whether it is ready to witness something real.

And afterwards, we do not disappear backstage. We take part in the event, we are approachable, and we enjoy every conversation — before the session and after.

Beyond the stage

For some time now, we have also been working away from the rope — in front of the camera and on the runway: as models for fashion shows, editorials and imagery that looks for character rather than polish, individually or as a duo. Everything else — data, pictures, details — is in our sedcards.

As of 2026

Since 2015, we have created more than 50 stage performances — at fairs, festivals, club events and small intense stages across Europe. Our portfolio gives you an impression of what that looks like — we are currently filling it, piece by piece, with images from ten years.

Upcoming appearances are listed under dates.

Get in touch

And if, while reading, you thought that a session like this belongs on your stage, at your event or in front of your camera: just write to us — info@koikunawa.com. We are happy to hear about bookings, collaborations, press and interviews.