Korean Artists Today highlights emerging contemporary artists in Korea, emphasizing their potential for global impact. Che Onejoon's work, focusing on the post-war era and the Korean War bunkers, sheds light on Korea's evolving historical narrative. He explores the lesser-known aspects of North Korea's influence in Africa through art and diplomacy, revealing the government's secretive practices regarding North Korean history. His multimedia projects, including one that examined North Korean monuments in African nations, illustrate a unique intersection of politics, culture, and art, enriching the understanding of Korean and global relations.
"The idea of preserving post-war history is very new in Korea," says Che Onejoon about one his early projects-a series of short films and archives documenting the bunkers and military facilities constructed in Seoul in the immediate aftermath of the Korean War.
"North Korea's construction company, Mansudae Overseas Projects, erected numerous statues, monuments and government buildings in at least 20 African nations since its establishment in 1974," he says. "Most of those built before the 1990s were done for free, as Kim Il Sung wanted African support in the UN to try and force the Americans out of South Korea. But recently it has been less about diplomacy and more a means to get foreign currency."
Collection
[
|
...
]