Take Off Your Clothes,acrylic on hanji, 3.11 x 6.04, 2010
The North Korean painter Song Byeok began his career as an official propaganda artist, painting posters exalting the glory of Kim Jong Il. One day in 2000, everything changed for Song when he and his father attempted to cross a river into China to buy rice for their family. Song's father was swept away and drowned while he -- despite his connections with the regime -- was arrested and spent six months in a prison camp.
A short time later, Song escaped the country and defected to South Korea, where he went on to attend university and study art. Today, the 44-year-old has earned acclaim in his second career, painting subversive and often hilarious satires of North Korean life and politics.
From April 13-20, an exhibition of Song's work will be held at the Dunes gallery in Washington. The artist spoke by phone with FP from his home in Seoul about his work and hopes for North Korea's future.
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Flower Children, acrylic on hanji, 4.79 x 2.98, 2010
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Mass Games, acrylic on hanji, 4 x 2.62, 2010
How would you describe the work you did when you were in North Korea?
I was trained as a propaganda artist and my focus was to paint big posters for display to workers and farmers. The uniform motif was to elicit loyalty to Kim Jong. Il. There is absolutely no freedom of art, freedom of creativity, freedom of expression in North Korea. There is no individualism allowed. All art in North Korea is geared toward celebrating and praising Kim Jong Il.
Courtesy of http://www.songbyeok.com
General and Tribespeople, acrylic on hanji, 6.56 x 4, 2011
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Hillside Slums, acrylic on hanji, 2.13 x 3.03
Now that you live in the South, and could presumably paint whatever you want, why do you keep returning to these themes?
I lived for North Korea for over 30 years, so it's a natural theme for me. I know very well the terrible quality of life in North Korea and the despair of the North Korean people. As an artist, I feel obliged to tell the world about the political, social contradictions in North Korean life. I feel an obligation to tell the world about the plight about the North Korean people. I use satire to tell the world how North Korea is suffering.
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Dreaming of Something Else, acrylic on hanji, 2.13 x 4, 2010
How do other North Korean defectors respond to this work?
I had a private exhibition in South Korea last year. At the time there were photographs of me released -- headshots. That caused some concern. People close to me were very worried for my safety because I had been satirizing Kim Jong Il. There were rumors of potential acts of terror. North Korean defectors [who have viewed the paintings] felt a great sense of relief and catharsis. They were seeing emotions and sentiments that had been pent up for so long in their own lives.
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Child Warrior, acrylic on hanji, .83 x 1.09, 2009
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Let Me Taste It, acrylic on hanji, .98 x .98, 2010
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Peace in My Heart, acrylic on hanji, 4 x 2.08, 2011
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
A Loving Father and his Children, acrylic on hanji,6.56 x 4, 2011
Do you plan to address North Korea's new ruler -- Kim Jong Un -- in your work?
North Korean officials will most likely see this work. I hope that to encourage change in how North Koreans think of themselves and their place in the world - officials as well as ordinary North Koreans. I'm not adverse to painting Kim Jong Un, or satirizing him. My long-term hope is to tell the world about North Korea and encourage the country to open up and become more in line with world norms. I don't have any immediate plans to paint Kim Jong Un, though.
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Messenger of Good News, acrylic on hanji, 1.96 x 6.23, 2010
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Mount Baedku, acrylic on hanji, 10.62 x 4.26, 2009
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
Beloved Leader, acrylic on hanji, 3.28 x 2.13, 2009
If the Kim regime falls, what would you like to see done with the thousands of works of propaganda art, like the ones you used to create?
The passage of time is inevitable and change is inevitable. The people believe that change is coming to North Korea. When the time comes that the regime is no more, the North Korean people will be the ultimate judge. They will be the arbiters of what kind of monuments, icons, or propaganda material to get rid of or preserve.
I would like to preserve some of the monuments as a reminder of the past, a reminder of how North Koreans lived without basic freedoms, how countless North Koreans have had to bow down in front of huge statues of Kim Il Sung, as a reminder of how North Koreans lived. These monuments will be useful in telling the world about North Korea's story. They can still serve a positive purpose in the future.
Interview by Joshua E. Keating. Special thanks to Prof. Sung-yoon Lee of Tufts University for translation assistance.
Courtesy of www.songbyeok.com
