North Korean art

Tradition and Socialism: Art and Archaeology in North Korea

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by Philip Gowman on 16 March, 2012

in Asia House | DPRK | Event Notices | North Korean art | Talks and seminars

If you haven’t read Jane Portal’s Art Under Control, it should be on your reading list. But to give you a taster, she’s giving a talk at Asia House on 27 March. Tradition and Socialism: Art and Archaeology in North Korea Talk by Jane Portal Tuesday, 27 March, 18.45 Security issues and geopolitical controversy are [...]

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David Heather’s North Korean art collection returns to La Galleria

by Philip Gowman 28 January 2012
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Catch the last few days of the exhibition of North Korean propaganda posters and kitsch art from David Heather’s collection of works from Mansudae Studios, at La Galleria Pall Mall http://t.co/x8Io2z6C – till 3 February.

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Smugglers of NK paintings busted

by Philip Gowman 18 August 2011
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Do the math: on average one contraband North Korean landscape painting buys Kim Jong-il one bottle of brandy. (The article says the dealers’ “profits” amounted to around $24 per picture – assuming the margin is 50%, the amount the North Koreans get per painting is $24 per painting.) http://t.co/qmtXNfP #

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New book on North Korean Art

by Philip Gowman 7 August 2011
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New book on North Korean art (“Exploring North Korean Arts”) is published following the 2010 exhibition and conference in Vienna. Chapters by Jim Hoare, AidanFC, Koen De Ceuster & others. http://amzn.to/pP3LF0 #

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2011: the year of North Korean art?

by Philip Gowman 30 January 2011
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Is 2011 the year of North Korean art? As a Mansudae show closes in Moscow at ВИНЗАВОД, http://bit.ly/ffagtg … # … another show of North Korean linocuts, from Nick Bonner’s collection, opens in Toronto: http://bit.ly/fN8Ezg #

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NYT reviews Vienna show of North Korean art

by Philip Gowman 18 August 2010
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Some typically kitsch North Korean artwork at Vienna museum – coverage in the NY Times. The slideshow is worth a look. http://nyti.ms/bGdDbQ #

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Illusive Utopia reviewed in the Asia Times

by Philip Gowman 18 July 2010
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Looks like a fascinating book on North Korean arts. Michael Rank reviews “Illusive Utopia” by Suk-young Kim in the Asia Times: http://bit.ly/96S7hq # This impressively researched book examines performance in North Korea in great detail and in its widest sense, from theater and film to visual art and literature and even fashion

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Fake North Korean paintings in circulation

by Philip Gowman 7 January 2010
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Sunny Lee has a good article in the Korea Times: Fake NK Paintings in Wide Circulation. 9:44 AM Jan 7th. Philip: Good article. Did you get to meet Sun Woo-young when writing it? He was in London a couple of years ago. I assume the paintings on show in London were authentic, as he was [...]

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DPRK propaganda at London’s most famous bookshop

by Philip Gowman 22 April 2008

To coincide with the launch of David Heather’s book on DPRK propaganda art at the end of this month, Foyles is to be decorated with some examples of DPRK posters from David’s collection. The book, entitled North Korean Posters, comes from Prestel Publishing, and will be launched at Foyles next week. The posters will be [...]

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DPRK art show, part 2

by Philip Gowman 6 January 2008

Autumn in Mt Myohang – by Kang Song Ryong Such was the quantity of good material that Mansudae sent to London last year for the exhibition at La Galleria that there wasn’t enough space to show it all. So for two weeks this month there will be an opportunity to see some of the work [...]

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Paekho’s architectural art

by Philip Gowman 24 September 2007
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I happened to arrive at the DPRK embassy at the tail end of the afternoon, after the reception which welcomed numerous dignitaries to the exhibition of work produced by the Korea Paekho Trading Corporation. I therefore had the works to myself: it was just me, Pak Chang Sop (People’s Artist and president of the corporation), [...]

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More DPRK art in London

by Philip Gowman 19 September 2007

This is proving to a bumper year for North Korean Art in London. The exhibition in Pall Mall is just winding down, and we have yet more this week, in no less prestigious a location (albeit less central): on DPRK territory itself. On Friday and Saturday this week there will be an exhibition of work [...]

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Embroidery, celadon and a Juche paradise opposite the Institute of Directors

by Philip Gowman 26 August 2007
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The exhibition at La Galleria is entering its last two weeks. A number of the artworks that were in the gallery last time I visited are no longer there, having found good homes [1], and the opportunity has been taken to move some of the pictures around to give more prominents positions to some artists [...]

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Growing interest in DPRK art show

by Philip Gowman 5 August 2007
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The North Korean art exhibition in Pall Mall is gathering momentum. A small-scale re-hang has seen more propaganda posters in the window facing the Institute of Directors (above), which encourages passing traffic. The jewel painting is now hung so that pedestrians in the Royal Opera Arcade get greeted by it. The big painting of the [...]

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A North Korean coup, years in the planning

by Philip Gowman 30 July 2007
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Prologue The North Korean flag stirred gently in the breeze in Pall Mall, the heart of London’s clubland, a few hundred yards from Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. An elderly gentleman pottered up the steps to the Athenaeum. The blue and red flag caught his eye, but its significance did not register. A young woman [...]

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Artists, Art and Culture of D. P. R. Korea

by Susan Pares 21 July 2007
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By Susan Pares For what is said to be the first time, the arts of North Korea hit the London gallery scene. North Korean contemporary art can be viewed periodically at the Korea Gallery of the British Museum, but this exhibition offers the chance for larger exposure to media and themes that are typical of [...]

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Wide range of North Korean art on show this summer

by Philip Gowman 4 June 2007

David Heather, who is organising the exhibition of North Korean Art at La Galleria in Pall Mall this summer, has just emailed me images of some of the work which is being sent from the Mansudae studio in Pyongyang for the London exhibition. So here’s a flavour of what is to come: I have a [...]

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More news on DPRK London art exhibition

by Philip Gowman 15 April 2007

I’ve just received further information on the artists whose work will be on display in London this summer. It’s the top artists in the DPRK, and there should be something for everyone. The artists are: Jong Chang Mo (정창모) (People’s Artist, Kim Il Song Prize) – Korean Painting Son U Yong (선우영) (People’s Artist, Kim [...]

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But is it Art?

by Philip Gowman 13 December 2006
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Encounters with Painters in North Korea 5pm SOAS, 8 December 2006 Koen De Ceuster, Centre for Korean Studies, Leiden University “But is it Art”?: that was the question posed by Koen De Ceuster on Friday night at SOAS, as part of the series of talks held by the Centre for Korean Studies. The talk started [...]

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Jane Portal: Art under control in North Korea

by Philip Gowman 17 April 2006
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(Reaction Books / British Museum Press, 2005) An interesting, easy to read book cataloguing the different art forms in North Korea. Some of the works, particularly poster art, are on display in the Korean room in the British Museum. The book carefully avoids making judgements about the quality of the work. Link: Review by Ken [...]

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