Nick Bonner brings North Korean art to Beijing and beyond

As Chinese art explodes on the international scene, collectors increasingly look at the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as an untapped resource. Nick Bonner, the Beijing-based director of Koryo Tours and 15-year collector of art from the DPRK, brings North Korean art to Beijing as well as to the world stage with a touring exhibition of DPRK woodblock prints from his collection at The Korea Society in New York City.

“You can buy fake works all over Beijing,” Bonner says. “There is a tradition in North Korea of artists reproducing works by other artists, which has its own kind of legitimacy. But the most important works are collected by the DPRK as national treasures.”

The Pyongyang Art Studio, Bonner’s DPRK gallery project, has until recently been a primarily online operation. Bonner, however, has been working with artists in the DPRK to commission new works and organize gallery shows in Beijing. At the end of October, Bonner is opening the gallery to the public in the apartment complex west of Ya Show and will host its first exhibition soon after. Those looking to see art from the DPRK now may want to check out Mansudae Gallery (see listing p. 19), a Chinese gallery specializing in North Korean artwork on Guanyin Tang Art Street.

Amateur collectors interested in purchasing might consider woodblock prints, large propaganda oils or ink works. “The best works are ink works,” Bonner suggests. “With ink, you have to really know what you’re looking for. It’s a whole process of understanding the society. Everything is interrelated, and the works tell allegorical stories of the revolution.”

“All the art is very academic,” Bonner points out. “There isn’t anything abstract or avant-garde to speak of. When we speak of contemporary art in North Korea, we might think of an artist like Sun U Yong, who used to paint very tight landscapes, but in recent years, his style has grown much looser.”

While there are still several obstacles to collecting work from the DPRK, increased communication between art studios and the outside world, as well as collectors like Bonner, is bringing these works within reach.

Blake Stone-Banks

What: Pyongyang Art Studio
Where: Sanlitun
When: Opening in late October
Web: www.pyongyangartstudio.com