South Korean artists explore the DMZ
In a new exhibition in London, they contemplate the no-go zone that separates them from their neighbours to the north
By J.U-S.
IN 1988 A gallery in New York invited artists to imagine a non-military, non-political future use for the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the four-kilometre-wide strip of land that has separated North and South Korea since the ceasefire of 1953.
Nam June Paik, a Korean-American, suggested creating a tiger farm to attract Japanese tourists. His compatriot Mo Bahc, also a resident in New York at the time, designed an amulet and sent it to six heads of state. Presidents and prime ministers alike were instructed to burn the amulet and drink the ashes, while wishing sincerely for reunification.
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