The art of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is largely unknown outside its home country. The exhibition Flowers for Kim Il Sung at MAK offers the first comprehensive look at North Korea's contemporary art, poster art and architecture. In the spotlight is a culture that seems foreign to the majority of the public, determined by the all-encompassing worship of‘Eternal President' Kim Il Sung (died 1994) and his currently reigning son, KimJong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission, which is characterised bythe Juche Idea, a very specific interpretation of socialism.
North Korea is defined as a single-party state under a united front led by the Korean Workers' Party (KWP). with the government following the Juche ideology of self-reliance that was developed by the late Kim Il Sung. The three main ideas of Juche are: ‘independence in politics' (chaju);‘self-sustenance in the economy' (charip); and ‘self-defence in national defence' (chawi). Juche became the official state ideology when the country adopted a new constitution in 1972, although Kim Il Sung had been using it to form policy since at least as early as 1955. The political system has deeply influenced the art of the country and how it has developed.
Peter Noever, director of the MAK, in reference to this exhibition stated, ‘Art is the only societal force capable of overcoming borders. Flowers for Kim Il Sung should in no way be viewed as a political statement, but rather purely as an opportunity to examine the idealising art of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. With this showing at MAK, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea can be seen to break through its isolationist policies - at least in terms of artistic production'.The aim of the exhibition is to allow a wider audience to view works of art by this closed country that are hardly known outside academic circles and have rarely been seen by the public.
In close cooperation with the Korean Art Gallery,around 100 works of fine art - oil paintings, ink paintings and watercolours – and 30 selected posters are presented. Large-format portraits of the president Kim Il Sung and his successor Kim Jong Il are also on display. Supported by the Paektusan Academy of Architecture, a separate section is devoted to architecture; at its centre there is a model (made specifically for MAK) of the so-called Juche Tower (completed in 1982), which is recorded as the highest stone (granite) tower in the world. This is one of the many monuments that were put up on the occasion of Kim Il Sung's birthday and it gives an impression of the city-planning vision upon which the reconstruction of Pyongyang was based. The structure, presumed to be modelled on the Washington Monument in the US, is 170-metres high, comprising 25,550 blocks -365 × 70, one for each day of Kim Il Sung's life (excluding supplementary days), and is capped with 20-metre high illuminated torch.
As a rule, there are two central categories of oil painting in the DPRK, one treats traditional themes such as portraits,landscapes and scenes from the daily lives of workers, and farmers, while the other consists in portrayals of the president Kim Il Sung and his successor KimJ ong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission. Mountains, idyllic lake landscapes and even nearly impressionistic landscape views are done in a fairly traditional manner. Paintings emphasise the achievements of the state and its workers; motifs are supplied by road construction, factories, as well as by proud and happy people. Portraits of the president and his successor enjoy a special status in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The paintings exhibited at MAK have left the Korean Art Gallery for the first time in their history. They portray the father and the son, usually together with representatives of the people and in the most varied situations. The leaders' closeness to the people is repeatedly highlighted. Alongside calligraphy, ink painting had been Korea's traditional painting technique. Only in the late 1950s, however, did it regain official recognition as a ‘Korean' artistic skill. Now it is gradually being appreciated more by the authorities, with works in this medium being done on all topics by members of major artists' studios.
Posters are an important part of artistic expression in DPRK and show with great clarity the conviction and determination to follow an ideological path that is not subject to question. They are works of propaganda,which reflect the political system. However, they also make it possible to trace political developments in the sense of gradual changes associated with domestic and international circumstances. In terms of their design, they are similar to posters of the former Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. Party and government declarations are reduced to slogans, and these are constantly reiterated across all media. Colours are an important element of such posters' design: red, internationally recognised as being symbolic of socialism, is employed most frequently. There exist numerous whole series of posters based on the motif of the red banner. Red appears above all in posters on the themes of ideology, political mobilisation, loyalty and self-sacrifice, since this colour also stands for conviction and determination, as well as forcruelty/brutality. Blue, on the other hand, symbolises tranquillity, peace and harmony. The Korean Peninsula is depicted in blue on flags used for events involving both Koreas.
The human being, as the master of his own fate, also stands in the focus of this country's posterart. People are seldom depicted as individuals, but rather as prototypes of a social group, outfitted with the corresponding attributes. The posters never feature images of the president and his successor. But posters do quite often make reference to historically important personalities or occurrences, thereby providing a historical context for day-to-day political events.
Pyongyang is referred to as a ‘Paradise on Earth', as well as a city for ‘public art' and as a ‘reward for all hardships'. After having been destroyed during the Korean War (1950-1953), the city was completely rebuilt from the ground up according to Soviet and Chinese examples as a flagship of the modern Korean state. It is characterised by wide boulevards lined with high-rises and imposing buildings for various activities of public life (theatre, halls for large events, the state museum). Another determining factor in the city's appearance consists in the various memorial structures that were put up in honour of President Kim Il Sung: the Juche Tower, the Triumphal Arch and the Mausoleum. Included in the exhibition alongside the model of the Juche Tower are architectural plans, photographic material and design sketches for the city.
In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, art assumes a social function and is subordinate tothe revolutionary process. Artists occupy a special status. They are required to depict and communicate the correct attitude, behaviours, morality and values. Education and culture are the most important settings for the revolutionising of the individual and the communication of the new ethos. Training of artists encompasses more than just the acquisition of artistic skills; an important component is also their engagement with the ideology. In general, there are somany different painters that no single artist can really stand out; it is rather the content that is important. The MAK exhibition features artists including Jong Hui Jin: he painted two portraits of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung. Other artists represented are Kwak Hungj Mo, with two posters from thelate 1950s or early 1960s and Kim Kyong Hun, who created two posters in 2010. All artists in the DPRK are members of the state artists' association and are paid a monthly salary. In return, they must produce a certain number of paintings. There are large ateliers and also office-type settings; one example is the Mansudae Artists' Studio. The mounting of exhibitions is under the control of state organisations; there are no privately organised presentations. Much as in politics, the realm of culture has also seen the development of avariant that is oriented toward Korean tradition.
MAK has a long tradition of offering glimpses into the worlds beyond Western artistic and architectural trends with this latest exhibition building on such previous exhibitions as Art and Revolution. Russian and SovietArt, 1919-1932 (1988), Tyranny of the Beautiful. Architecture in the Age of Stalin (1994), Architecture Again. The Havana Project (1997) and CineArt. Indian Poster Painters at MAK (1999).
The current exhibition Flowers for Kim Il Sung, Art and Architecture from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea continues this tradition in compelling fashion,tackling a theme that has rarely been covered on the international museum circuit.
Until 5 September at MAK Exhibition Hall, Weiskirchnerstraße 3, 1010 Vienna, www.mak.at. A catalogue accompanies the exhibition, Flowers for Kim Il Sung, Architecture from the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, ed. by Peter Noever, with articles by Han Chang Gyu, Frank Hoffmann, Peter Noever, Christian Posthofen, German/English/Korean. Available at the MAKDesign Shop.
