Patrick Maurus

North Korea

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ISBN: 9782330120115
Author : Patrick Maurus
Published: 2020
Publisher: Actes Sud
Number of pages: 160
Language: English
Format: Hardback
Description
While undertaking this photographic investigation of North Korea, French photographer Stéphan Gladieu (born 1969) found himself under constant surveillance everywhere he went. Because of these constraints, he managed to invent an ingenious space of freedom. Gladieu created mirror-portraits of people he encountered and was hosted by, often full length, which require a face-on pose and a direct gaze. In this way, he managed to create a form similar to North Koreas propaganda imagery, which made his approach more comprehensible and permissible to the authorities.  Fifty years after its foundation, North Korea endures a media portrayal of war, famine, nuclear programs and military parades. Indoors, people are required to display portraits of the regimes founder, Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-Il. Family photos are not allowed; nor are personal portraits. Consequently, Gladieus work attains an almost historic act of intervention in the countrys visual politics.

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