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Brilio.net/en - North Korea seems to be an impenetrable state. Outside access is either forbidden or strictly monitored. It seems the Dennis Rodman, the former American basketball star was the only one who got access to the communist country.
But if you want to experience North Korea for yourself, and arent an international basketball player, these 3D photographs may be the next best thing.
Slovenian photographer Matja Tani wanted to highlight the individuals in North Korea. "Every time you hear about North Korea, it is propaganda or anti-propaganda, workers in the fields or military marches. I wanted to show the complete opposite. I wanted to shoot real people, individuals with a name, a face," he says.
He specialises in 3D photographer, thereby adding whole other dimension to the images. "3D makes the individual even more enhanced. You can see each detail of the clothing, and become a voyeur, observing the space around the person."
Koryo Studio, the first Western art gallery to commission, exhibit and sell work by artists from North Korea, invited Tani for a 10-day tour around the country in 2014. The photographer has been somewhat accustomed to the communist lifestyle, having been born in the former communist state of Yugoslavia in Eastern Europe. "If Americans see groups marching to the field with red flags and accordions, it must seem completely alien. But for me, it reminds me of pictures I saw when I was young. What I saw became intertwined with my own memories."
The Beijing native had to push the boundaries to obtain the photographs he wanted. The itinerary for the entire trip was tightly controlled and mandated by officials. They had no free time and were prohibited from going anywhere on their own. "Every single photo was a struggle." Trust had to be built before the photographer could capture the average North Korean. In the beginning they would refuse photographers of individuals. One of his success was capturing an photo of cyclists after six days of trying to convince his guides. "Cyclists were everywhere, and they all rode the same model bike. But (the minders) didn't want me to take photos of the cyclists, because they said they were not modern enough," Tani explains.
The portraits were exhibited in Pyongyang last September, one of the first western exhibitions to be shown inside North Korea. The exhibit is display in Beijing until February 20th at the Pkin Fine Arts. Art may be the most useful tool in opening cultures and borders. Tani says: "The government is sending a message that the country is opening up." He continues on: A lot of people in North Korea are still suffering, but having a cultural interaction with foreigners will help the country progress."
(Reported by: Ivana Lucic)
(brl/tis)
