International Friendship Exhibition

The exhibition International Friendship Exhibition, is a kind of titular homage to Kim Jong-il‘s International Friendship Exhibition, a space filled with kitsch and propaganda; this is a large museum complex with the house gifts presented to former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il from various foreign dignitaries. The protocol of gift-giving is well established in Korean culture.

The building offers the impression that it has windows, though it has none. According to one legend, Kim Jong-il built the International Friendship Exhibition in three days; however, actual construction took a year. Currently, estimates of how many gifts the exhibition holds vary between 60,000 and 220,000 gifts. On entering the exhibition, shoes must be discarded and visitors are asked to bow before portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

In the exhibition at Primary Projects, the 20 exhibiting artists will explore ideas about contradiction in their own unique ways; among them are Autumn Casey, Asif Farooq, Cody Hudson, Gavin Perry, and Jessie Laino. Furthermore, the word ‘friendship’ also references the quite familial crew at Primary, who work together supportively and collaboratively.