Queensland Art Gallery - Queensland Government

Mansudae Art Studio and art in North Korea (DPRK)
Driven, I suppose, by a spirit of curatorial curiosity, the Queensland
Art Gallery approached me in early 2005 to find out more about the
art and culture of North Korea, or the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea (DPRK). On hearing of my long-term interest in the DPRK
through my involvement in a number of film projects, this initial
conversation ranged from peering at my collection of propaganda
posters and brush-and-ink paintings to talking about the relationships
built over 15 years with filmmaker and artist friends. After several
meetings, I approached my artist colleagues in the DPRK to discuss the
Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) project, and to explore
the possibility of presenting work in Brisbane.
Almost five years on, these discussions have resulted in an extensive
exhibition of art from the DPRK for APT6. At the core of this selection
are 13 ambitious new commissions made by eight artists from the
Mansudae Art Studio. These are augmented by a significant group of
works from my personal collection to provide an added, important
context. Few of these works have ever been on public display before,
the exception being some of the prints, which are among the most
well-known works from Korea to have circulated internationally.
A brief history
Art today in the DPRK occupies a distinct place within the texture of the
culture and is powered by the principle that art contains knowledge —
about revolution, for education, for socialism — and takes various forms,
from propaganda to images that instruct children about respecting
their parents and Korean custom. Art is also made simply to enrich life.
After the three-year Korean War stalled in an armistice stalemate in
1953, much art was influenced by the Soviet Union and China through
socialist realist styles, until Korea developed its own national style after
1966. Reflecting the state’s ethos of juche (self-reliance), Leader Kim IL
Sung instructed the DPRK art world to develop juche art: ‘Let’s develop
our national form, with socialist content’. 1
With China and Russia immediately to the north and Japan, separated
by the waters of the Korea Strait, to the east, Korea has substantial
pressures to accommodate, and also extensive cultures to draw on.
The peninsula was essentially ruled — by different dynasties, political
powers and ethnicities — as one political entity for over 1000 years,
until mid twentieth century conflicts separated it into two. This complex
interchange of power and territory has contributed to a long and vital
history of art and culture in the region.
The Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945 led to many Korean artists
undertaking training in Japan during this period before returning to
Korea to practice and teach. Japan, meanwhile, had been exchanging
influences with European and North American artists, which affected
Japanese practice and teaching.
Art education
Today, art education is the only method of becoming an artist in the
DPRK. The most prestigious art university is the Pyongyang University
of Fine Art, which was established in 1947. The main areas of study
are brush-and-ink painting or chosunhua — considered to be the most
important art form, due to its traditional roots — calligraphy, oil painting,
printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, mural painting and the industrial arts.
There are other specialist universities, such as the Pyongyang College
of Handicrafts, which is responsible for teaching embroidery and
lacquer work; the Pyongyang University of Construction and Building
Materials, specialising in architecture; and the Pyongyang University of
Cinema, which teaches film and film production.
Young artists are selected from around the country and, if judged to
have sufficient skill, are invited to study at the Pyongyang University
of Fine Art. In Pyongyang and the hinterland, there are a number of
local colleges for artists who do not reach the grades necessary for
admittance to the university. These institutions are not strictly fine
art academies as they include other art forms such as dance and
design. The Pyongyang University of Fine Art requires a minimum of
six to eight years of study. Three years of undergraduate study are
followed by postgraduate courses. The usual age to enter university
is between 15 and 23 years. Currently, the oil painting department
and the chosunhua department enrol 20 students each annually.
In total, around 150 students graduate every year in the fine art
department (including all arts, from embroidery and ceramics to
chosunhua). After finishing university, students are then selected
by the various art studios, the most recognised being Mansudae,
Paekho, Minye and Central.
While female painters are in a minority in the chosunhua and oil
painting departments, women can obtain revered status as ‘People’s
Artist’, like Kim Sung Hui, whose work has a very distinct style.
Art studios
Artists are employed by the art studio system. Art studios are
headed by a director, supported by a first assistant director, and
assistant directors, who are responsible for overseeing the creation,
organisation, production and distribution of the art.
The studios are places where younger members learn from their
peers and their more experienced colleagues. For example, in the
ink painting department of Mansudae Art Studio, there are around
100 artists assigned to 5 teams, and a team leader is responsible
for the development of the artists’ work. Every morning, artist teams
participate in a life-drawing class with artists either posing or sketching.
Artists share a studio with others (around two to five artists per room),
with some highly regarded artists having their own studio.
Choe Yong Sun
North Korea (DPRK) b.1958
The construction site 2005
Linocut on paper / 65.5 x 52.5cm /
Collection: Nicholas Bonner, Beijing
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