June 2021
Birds Nest, Home of the People
Birds Nest, Home of the People is part of The Beautiful Future collaboration between Nick Bonner of Koryo Studio, Dominic Johnson-Hill of Plastered 8, and a group of North Korean artists living in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang.
Title: BIRDS NEST, HOME OF THE PEOPLE 鸟巢，劳动人民体育馆
Artist: Nicholas Bonner/Dominic Johnson Hill with DPRK artist
Year: September 2008
Medium: Gouache on paper
Dimensions: 73.5 x 103 cm
Birds Nest, Home of the People
A striking surreal horizontally banded skyline flanked by a shining city and industry at maximum capacity. Streams of flag-waving Chinese very reminiscent of North Korean ‘People’s Parades’.
The floral decoration in the foreground is used to frame the piece and set up the perspective. This is a technique used in their graphic imagery.
One can notice a touch of Korean Confucianism with the focus on the young girl looking after the old man. He is a tourist in his own country. Indeed, he must be witnessing many of the great changes. Certainly not the leap forward of his youth.
Similar pieces depicting important sites, unique structures, or beautiful skylines in Beijing include the ‘Glorious CCTV Tower‘, ‘Water Cube for Clean Air & Healthy Life‘, and ‘CCTV Tower with Bountiful Harvest‘.
Development of the artwork
