North Korean Art: Paradoxical Realism at the 2018 Gwangju Biennale is an exhibition that reflects the culmination of an eight-year exploration into the art of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). During that time, BG Muhn made nine research trips to the DPRK to pursue a growing passion for the uniqueness and mystery surrounding Chosonhwa, the North Korean name for traditional ink wash painting on rice paper.

The DPRK is notably the only country in the world after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 that continues to create Socialist Realism art. This exhibition is likely the first opportunity for people around the world to see North Korean Chosonhwa in such a broad range of images within Socialist Realism art.

A Journey of Investigation
Relying on Primary Source Research
What Has Been Developed Over the Past Six Decades of North Korean Art
Ink Wash on Rice Paper
The Expression of North Korean-ness
The Distinctive Characteristics of Chosonhwa
Socialist Realism Ideological Painting
The Core of Socialist Realism Collaborative Painting
Propagandistic Elements in Collaborative Painting Melodramatic Traits
Kitsch Elements Beloved by North Korean
Landscape Painting with Unexpected Power
Waves in Ink Wash Painting Rice Paper
The Obsession to Capture Reality
The Tradition of Literati Painting in the DPRK
The Auspicious Connotations to the People of the DPRK
Uniformity or Assumption
Art as the Triumph of Transcending Life's Struggle
A Manifestation of Human Spirit & Emotion
Art Can Be Still Victimized by Political Ideology