Art Sonje Center and Real DMZ project presents Humanities Lecture by BG Muhn, a painter and art professor at Georgetown University.

Addressed in this discussion regarding the topic of propaganda art in North Korea will be answers to questions that BG Muhn frequently received during lectures in the U.S. on this subject: Is there art for the sake of art in North Korea? Does individual expression, as we understand it in liberal society, exists in North Korea? Can evidence of artistic experimentation be found in North Korean art? And the question at the core of the conversation, Is all North Korean art in fact propaganda?
As a professional artist and art professor in the U.S., professor Muhn will share his perspective into the commonalities and differences among North Korean artists he encountered.
Most people cannot fathom the huge scale of art in the DPRK. His talk will address how art functions in North Korean society, and in turn, the level of respect that artists receive. To provide a better understanding of North Korean art, Muhn will share experiences that cover the mindset of people and unique interactions at places such as the Patriotic Martyr’s Cemetery, a Church and a Buddhist temple. Muhn will also discuss international art exhibitions featuring North Korean art, including one show that he curated in Washington, DC, last year.

About the Speaker
BG Muhn, a painter and art professor at Georgetown University, has achieved substantial and noteworthy professional recognition through solo exhibitions in venues such as Stux Gallery in Chelsea in New York City, Ilmin Museum of Art in Seoul and the American University Museum in Washington, DC. He also has received acclaim in reviews and interviews, appearing in prominent media such as The New York Times,  Art in America and CNN.
For the last several years, Professor Muhn took interest in and studied relatively unknown North Korean art through his multiple visits to North Korea for his research. He has been giving talks on contemporary North Korean art at universities and art centers including Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Columbia universities, and Watermill Center for Robert Wilson. A North Korean contemporary art exhibition curated by him was held for the first time of its kind in Washington, DC, last year. His article on North Korean art was featured in a British global magazine,Index on Censorship (summer, 2017).