Nine views of N. Korea displayed at Seoul exhibition

(ATTN: photos available)
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, April 15 (Yonhap) -- Snapshots of ordinary scenes in one of the world's
most unordinary nations, North Korea, are on exhibit in Seoul, a collection of
images viewed through the lens of local and foreign photographers.

The exhibit, currently on display at the Gongpyeong Gallery in the Seoul Art
Center in central Seoul, features dozens of pictures taken by nine different
artists over the past five decades.
"I have tried to convey the voices of different countries and different times
from the 1950s to 2008 through the eyes of gifted photographers," said Prof. Lim
Young-kyun of Chungang University, who curated the event. "I hope this exhibition
will provide a chance to look at the South and the North objectively."
Peering through the lenses of photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White, French
photographer Chris Marker, and South Koreans Edward Kim and Jean Chung, among the
artists featured in the exhibition, the "rogue" nation becomes almost familiar, a
place of ordinary citizens, changing landscapes and modernization.
"I hope and believe the two countries will one day face a moment of unification
again," said Lim. "I am grateful for the photographers who went to the trouble of
catching a glimpse of North Korea -- which I was unable to do as a South Korean
strictly forbidden from entry."
Photos by Bourke-White during the 1950-53 Korean War depict a traditional
agrarian society steeped in Confucianism values. Some of the images may look
familiar as many appeared in Life Magazine in the U.S.
Multimedia artist Chris Marker's portrait of a calligrapher captures the
authoritarian atmosphere that continues to drive North Korean society today as
well as the incredible resilience of ordinary North Koreans. Marker was among the
first to visit North Korea after the establishment of the inter-Korean border.
South Korea-born Edward Kim's image from the 1970s, reflecting the tranquility
and peace in a farmer's expression after an abundant autumn harvest, has not
often been seen since in the impoverished country with an average per capita
income of $1,150.
"Changing Social Landscape: Democratic People's Republic of Korea 1950-2008" will
run through May 5. The photos displayed were selected from the Daegu Photo
Biennale last year and will also go on exhibit in the U.S. at the George Eastman
House International Museum next year.
Profits from the exhibition will be donated to North Korean children, organizers
said.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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