This book is a cooperation between the MAK and the University of Vienna and contains a number of in-depth essays by international writers on a wide spectrum of issues, and with much detailed background information. The relationship between art and ideology is examined, how modern and traditional values are dealt with, as well as the commercial conditions of artistic work—the market value of art. But it is also about how a country’s art is received abroad, together with the difficulties faced by a curator if he wants to show this work outside the country’s borders.
The concept of art including the question of its significance to society is explored in this compendium through the field of fine art and as well as the design of stamps, book illustrations and wall mosaics, also takes in literature and music. The book reflects the North Korean art and culture »scene« in a degree of sophistication that has not been seen before.