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This week I received an invitation from Georgetown University’s Department of Art and Art History for a lecture, “Images of the Hidden City: Life and Art in Pyongyang, North Korea,” by Professor B.G. Muhn. Professor Muhn, an artist, recently visited North Korea and will discuss “North Korean contemporary art by presenting numerous slides of rare images. North Korean art is the last existing and still vigorously ongoing representation of Socialist Realism in the world.” (Color highlights in the original; the painting at left is from the flyer.) I am not sure where to place that last sentence on the spectrum of naiveté to irony, and unfortunately will not be able to attend the lecture, but if anyone does make it, report back. The event is at the ICC Auditorium, Georgetown University, Wednesday, March 14th @ 7:30pm.
The painting on the right is by former North Korean propaganda painter Song Byeok, the subject of an earlier post by Steph Haggard. Today is the final day of his first exhibition in the US, at the Goat Farm in Atlanta. (Thanks to CNN’s Paul Ferguson for the head’s up on this one.) Song is reputedly planning to visit Washington after the Atlanta exhibition closes, and has tentative plans for an exhibition here in April. Anyone who has any details on those plans, hit the reply button. Maybe we could get Muhn and Song together. Could be an interesting meeting.
At least one outfit has figured out how to make money off of all of this. Café Press will do you North Korean socialist realist t-shirts, coasters, coffee mugs—any tchotchke you want. I wonder if they do Kim Jong-il as Marilyn Monroe?
