All the Lights We Cannot See

Yanggakdo International Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea.
April 9 – 12, 2016
Co-curator with Sandino Scheidegger

Press Release: 

The exhibition, which went virtually unnoticed by the general public, was held on the 23rd floor of the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. It was conceived of by Random Institute and curated by Anna Hugo and Sandino Scheidegger.

A manipulated and reproduced issue of the state-owned and hard to get Pyongyang Times serves as the official exhibition catalogue. This special edition is strictly limited to 100 unique numbered copies and can be ordered from Mark Pezinger Verlag.

Nine artists were invited to exhibit in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital of the unknown. The entire project, from the art on display to the story behind it, was committed to silence. Besides a very limited set of installation views, only one trace of the exhibit was allowed to surface: an enigmatic mention on the artists’ CVs that will absolutely call attention to itself in the CV-driven language of the art world. When asked to elaborate, the artists’ response can only be: “I’m not supposed to talk about it.”


Works exhibited:

• Sulking Souvenir, 2013  Clifford E. Bruckmann, CH
• Satirical Coin, 2016  Thomas Mailaender, FR
• Birdie, 2016  Ragnheidur Karadottir, IS
• Naked Bombers, 2016  Simon Mullan, GB/DE
• Movement No.6, 2016  Juan Betancurth, CO
• Modesty or Surprise, 2016  Alfredo Aceto, CH
• Jung43, 2015  Florence Jung, CH
• Untitled, 2016  Achraf Touloub, FR
• Personal Chocolate, 2016  Alison Kuo, US

Link to Random Institute 

Press:

Art Critical, “No-Place: Clandestine Exhibition in North Korea,” written by Sadie Starnes 06/09/2016
E-flux, “All the Lights We Cannot See,” 06/05/2016
A Womans Thing