Over the past 15 years, more than 40 artists from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have been invited to display their artistry on a canvas at "the creation base of the DPRK painters in China" in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang province.

The base, which was established in August 2011, is the only one of its kind that the DPRK has set up overseas. It is used to create, exhibit and sell works of art from the DPRK, according to Cheng Wujun, the director of the base. The base serves as a bridge for cultural exchange between China and the DPRK, introducing authentic DPRK paintings to the Chinese market.

Since its establishment, DPRK artists have been stationed at the base for on-site creation and customized artworks tailored to the needs of collectors and businesses.

"The face-to-face creative exchange is unique in the DPRK foreign art cooperation, offering a unique cross-border artistic collaboration," said Cheng.

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The DPRK paintings are known for their pure and simple creative philosophy, distinct artistic style and rigorous realism.

Their distinctness portrays realistic styles, unique emotional interpretation and strong feelings of national pride, all of which reflect the DPRK people's aspirations for peace, Cheng said.

The DPRK awards artists titles such as "People's Artist" and "Meritorious Artist", representing the highest standards in the country's art community.

"The base has always undertaken important functions such as the exhibition and sale of the DPRK works, authenticity identification, artist exchange and market regulation," Cheng added. "The base integrates high-quality works from major DPRK creation studios, providing collectors with authoritative certification, unified numbering certificates and authenticity identification services."

In 2012, Cheng was awarded the honorary title of "cultural ambassador for the DPRK-China art exchange" by the DPRK government — the only foreigner to receive the title to date.

Over the years, Cheng has brought contemporary DPRK paintings to exhibitions across various regions in China, including Harbin in Heilongjiang province, Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Guangzhou in Guangdong province, as well as Shanghai and Beijing.

"The DPRK paintings have distinct characteristics — bright and vivid colors, which give a positive and cheerful impression," he said."The DPRK artists left me with the deepest impression of their professionalism and dedication."

"For instance, before returning to their accommodation after work every night, they ensure that the oil paints, paper and surrounding areas in front of the easel are clean," he said. "Their rigorous professionalism is evident. To paint a sunrise, they will ask the client what time he needs the sunrise to be depicted — 5, 6, or 7 am — as the sun's height, brightness, shadow effects and color differences are vastly different."

In April 2023, Cheng established a new creation base in Dalian, Liaoning province, and exhibited some DPRK paintings at the Dalian Wanzhongyuncang Technology Incubation Park.

"The works created by the DPRK artists displayed in our exhibition hall have attracted many visitors," said Jin Lin, director of the park's business development and operations department. "The natural scenery and folk customs depicted in the paintings are very detailed, with bright colors, making visitors feel calm and have a taste of life and history." According to Jin, nearly 100 works have been sold from the park so far.

Shang Shuke, an art collector in Dalian, started collecting the DPRK paintings around 10 years ago.

"In 2014, a friend introduced me to the base, so I traveled to Mudanjiang to visit the exhibition hall at the base and picked out some works by old DPRK artists from the 1950s and 1960s," he said. "The DPRK artists have deep artistic skills, with exquisite realism, delicate and lively brushwork and elegant and refined color tones."

"The creators are genuinely dedicated to art, not creating for profit, so the works are pure and simple in style, with strong artistic quality," he added.

Another collector, Peng Fengjiao, has expressed a fondness for the gentle and elegant artistic temperament of the DPRK paintings.

"They are not only exquisite art pieces for decorating life but also a stable collectible choice," she said."Sometimes, I picked some of the DPRK works I collect as cultural gifts to my artistically-inclined friends, which were well received."

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Yun Ju-hyok, the DPRK representative at the base, is now engaged in creative work in Dalian, leveraging his unique perspective to gradually introduce a series of outstanding modern and contemporary DPRK artworks to China.

"The DPRK art, based on subjective realism, uses concise, lively and realistic depictions, which are loved by both DPRK and Chinese people," he said. "After coming to China, the DPRK artists were also amazed by the profound influence of Chinese culture."

"In January 2019, I led five DPRK artists to hold an art exhibition in Taiyuan, Shanxi province," he said."During the visit to the famous historical sites and museums in Taiyuan, they were full of praise for the breadth and depth of Chinese culture, which deeply touched them and gave them a new understanding and appreciation of China."

Contact the writers at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn