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gallery

In Goes, a town in Zeeland, The Netherlands, at the end of August 2017 an exhibition was held, showing more than fifty North Korean paintings, made between 1960 and 2007 by professional North Korean painters. All paintings were made on behalf of the North Korean state and are originally intended for domestic use in public buildings and hotels.

I got the opportunity to capture all the exhibited paintings, so this one is the fifth one of a series of the by me selected images for uploading to Caedes. Although the last exhibited painting was made in 2007, think that this series will still show you an unique look at the closed/isolated North Korea.

The cult around the Kim family is the foundation of the North Korean politics and society. Propaganda, art, and culture has created an image of Kim il Sung as the revolutionary genius that liberated the Korean people from Japanese oppression and social exploitation. He is the 'visionary guide' who showed the way to an utopian, carefree future. When Kim il Sung died in 1994, he was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-il, who became the main guardian of his father's inheritance, which was under treat from the evil outside world. The idyll could only exist if the people fully committed to their new great leader, so Kim Jong-il could succeed his father and lead the people to the utopia. By April 13th, 2012 the story repeated itself as Kim Jong-un was declared the supreme leader, following the state funeral of Kim Jong-il on December 28th, 2011.

Some details/description of the fifth one in this series:

Artist: Song il

Title: Without title. Painted in 2004

Oil paint on canvas, 58 x 103 cm.

On April 25th, 2004, ten years after the death of Kim il Sung, on the anniversary of the foundation of the Korean people's army, there was a large-scale military parade in the center of Pyongyang. The troops pass an enormous mosaic of the official portrait of Kim il Sung, making it almost appear that he is the one leading the parade, instead of the party-leaders, who are standing ahead at the Kim il Sung Square.