The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a no-man’s-land strip that has divided North and South Korea since the end of the Korean war in 1953. Contrary to its name, it’s one of the most heavily militarized areas in the world, and has been the unwitting inspiration for some seriously interesting pieces of art...
Currently at the New Art Exchange, there are the works of eight Korean artists each exploring the divide that brutally tears a country in two.
While the world continues to focus on nuclear threats from North Korea, the artists focus on the social, political, cultural and psychological issues that the people of Korea are facing, reminding us of the people there, who are trying to live their lives alongside the chaos.
The artwork is beautifully contrasting, with bright, psychedelic canvases from Kyungah Ham, which have been embroidered by a variety of craftspeople across North Korea, as a part of the Embroidery Project. Although beautiful to look at, their poignance comes from the stories behind how they are made; the blueprints were smuggled across the border and the final pieces were smuggled back. Their beauty makes the tensions all the more touching, and this piece truly links up the North and South.
Soyoung Chung’s artwork really stood out after I discovered the context behind her blue suspended plastic sheet installments. She built a “home” using the panels, in the former propaganda village of Yangji-ri, which tried to encourage South Koreans to move to the DMZ in the seventies. Her installment reflects the uncertainty felt in the village, emphasising how close the people can be to their North Korean neighbours without knowing them at all.
Hein-Kuhn Oh’s prints of boy soldiers really stuck with me. In some the soldiers look to only be young boys, but already their faces are so hardened. In some of the prints, they’re playing and we’re reminded that they are still young in those captured moments.
Other pieces include digital prints by Seung Woo Back, surreal video and photography from Yeondoo Jung, 489 Years: a film by Hayoun KWON, 35mm photography projected by Park Chan-Kyong and a multimedia installation, Mansudae Master Class, by Onejoon Che.
In the Q&A talk given by co-curator Keum Hyun Han and the artists, they spoke about issues like being a Korean refugee in the UK, and only ever being asked about the war and nuclear threats, not about the people. When they spoke, it brought to light how apparent the divide is, with recollections of stories about the North Koreans having horns being told to them as children.
The exhibition is really eye-opening, and it’s amazing that Nottingham has the privilege to share in these stories.
The Real DMZ is running at New Art Exchange from Saturday 27 January - Sunday 15 April 2018.
New Art Exchange website
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