In Context… Nathalie Daoust: “Korean Dreams” & A Journey Into Totalitarianism

By Liam Shearer

For this semester’s ST.ART print issue, I had the privilege of posing a few questions to Nathalie Daoust, a Canadian artist who had recently travelled into the totalitarian mist of North Korea and took back with her the basis of one of the most compelling artistic projects I had ever seen. That interview primarily focused on her process and general experiences while abroad. 

However, it is hard to overstate the purpose of the ‘Korean Dreams’ project, which is to illuminate aspects of the North Korean situation in order to inspire a range of responses. Many of Daoust’s images in this collection speak for themselves and maintain important messages that are worthy of illumination in their own right. More so, they at times represent key experiences had by Nathalie abroad, which are also worthy of discussion. Presented here are alternative parts of my interview with Nathalie, focusing more on specific images and their intention, as well as her view of the North Korean situation more broadly. 

One of the most striking images of the collection is the portrait of the late Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Il. The portrait shows the leader in a state of dissolve while his facial features remain sharp and clear. Were there any specific intentions behind this image? 

This portrait is something that you constantly see everywhere in North Korea, therefore I thought it would be important to include in the exhibition. The display of Kim Il-Sung portraits was made mandatory in homes in the 1970s. They have now become mandatory in public places as well, such as factories, airports, railway stations, and rail and subway carriages. 

Rules regarding the placement and maintenance of the portraits are complex and change frequently. At homes, they should be placed on the most prominent wall in the living room with nothing else on it, at high and looking downwards. Of importance, and subject to random checks, is that they are kept clean, a responsibility that usually falls on the lady of the house. 

Another, of a North Korean student standing behind a staircase, seems reminiscent of an angel descending from the heavens, despite the student’s deadpan expression. Do you have any sense of the kinds of things North Korean students are taught? What is the quality of North Korean education? 

Education is mandatory and state-funded, and according to the CIA, North Korea has a 100% literacy rate. A study by the Korea Institute for Curriculum Evaluation found that students spend 684 hours learning about the current leader Kim Jong-Un, his father Kim Jong-Il, his grandfather Kim Il-Sung and his grandmother Kim Jong-Suk. North Korea states its education system is for “students to acquire the concept of revolution and endless loyalty toward the party and the supreme leader.” 

The literature read by North Korean students is carefully censored. Most writers remain obscure and their biographical details are concealed. Stories usually revolve around upholding socialism and the care the Kims have given the literary world. 

The images in this collection are as captivating as they are haunting. What were your intentions when you set out on developing this project? Would you say you have achieved what you set out to say? 

What I like about photography is that it shows ‘reality’. However, a raw negative does not always express the feeling, interaction, atmosphere and connection felt between subject and the location. I often experience an energy and feeling while taking photographs that the camera simply cannot capture. This is where the darkroom process comes in. I can manipulate the photo to represent how I felt in that exact moment the photograph was taken. In North Korea, it really felt like everyone I met was beyond reach. I never felt that I was able to form a clear picture of North Korea and that most of the information that I was told was obscured and lost at every turn. That is why I developed a technique in the darkroom to instil the images with the same feeling. 

You state that your intention was to show that North Korean escapism is not an individual choice, but a way of life enforced on the people by their government. Are there sections of the North Korean population who fully subscribe to the propaganda, or is there consistent awareness (even if quite subtle) that they live in a totalitarian state? 

I cannot speak for the people who still live in North Korea, but I have read many reports of people who left North Korea and it was a mixture of both. All their live, at school when they were young, university and even in the workplace you are taught about the great leader. A good example is when Kim Jong Il died, many who had escaped North Korea had actually cried, they explained that they hated him and think he is evil, but at the same time their lives revolved around him and it felt like they lost a father. 

What, in your opinion, are the most pressing issues facing the North Korean people? 

Executions and false imprisonment are commonplace. You can spend up to ten years in prison for just wearing jeans, which are forbidden by the state. Jeans are an American symbol. 

As an extra deterrent, there is also a three-generation policy. Even if you are willing to risk your life for the greater good of freeing the country, if you get caught, your children, parents and grandparents also receive the same punishment. This makes change almost impossible. 

Do you have any hope that the situation in North Korea could improve in the future? 

I hope that change will be made, but I believe outside help is needed. 

I am massively grateful to Deborah Barcones, for helping me pose these questions, and to Nathalie Daoust, for giving her time to this interview. “Korean Dreams” has been given the First Place Award in the Experimental Category at Photogrvphy Grant 2018. More on Nathalie’s work can be found at daoustnathalie.com