The 798 Art Zone is set in a decommissioned military/industrial complex developed in joint between the Chinese and East Germans in the early 1950s, the height of the Cold War. After it was abandoned, artists and other outsiders started moving in, and today it is a vibrant (but perhaps overly-fashionable) community.
My first visit last year was with TB, his mom and his partner JX.
Some early stops turned out to be among the best, such as an exhibit by Bingren Zhu displaying "Molten Copper Art".
It's a cool scene, lots of chill restaurants, impromptu performances and nifty scenery.
A key reason I wanted to visit was go to Mansudae, the studio representing art from North Korea (I mentioned earlier looking for a Korean connection). You know you're there when you see the "Chollima" 천리마 statue, a smaller version of the one in Pyeongyang:
The sculpture symbolizes the DPRK's speedy rebuilding of the country following the war, and depicts a worker and a peasant being carried forward by the "thousand-mile horse". Sadly, I got virtually nothing decent inside, as the eagle-eyed docents forbade photography. Aside from the sculpture below, there was a really nice painting of Dok-do 독도 (aka Takeshima 竹島 aka the Lioncourt rocks).
Of course, more sadly, I note that North Korea continues a level of human rights abuse, mismanagement of resources, and corruption that will impoverish, malnourish and kill its populace for generations to come. Meanwhile, 45 crows about receiving "beautiful" letters from the third generation murderous tyrant. What a disgrace!
Blog note: This is post #999 on The Seoul Patch.
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