Artist An Su-min poses with her recent work "The Recovery of Home" at her studio in Seoul, April 27. The painting depicts the house where she used to live in North Korea. Courtesy of An Su-min

By Jung Min-ho

It is difficult to live as a painter in North Korea. There is no Photoshop, Affinity or other technology for producing sophisticated artwork; almost everything is done manually.

Moreover, there is little room for creativity. Certain subjects must be ― or must not be ― expressed. When finished, there are few people willing to buy their work in a country where even the basic necessities of life are in short supply.

Nevertheless, many North Koreans want to learn how to paint because, with such a skill, they can avoid hard labor such as construction work in school and the military.

That was how Ah Su-min, 26, decided to take an artistic path as a teenager. She was fascinated by the works of her father, also a painter, talented and tired of the "unbearable" manual labor.

"I had no idea that that decision would eventually lead me to becoming a contemporary painter in South Korea," Ah told The Korea Times in a recent interview.

When people think about North Korean art, they tend to visualize propaganda images such as brave soldiers fighting against the "imperial" United States. During work hours, her father painted such images. But after work, he often drew the portraits of the people he knew or the beauty of nature. An, his only daughter, naturally gravitated to the world of art.

After the death of her father, she escaped North Korea with her mother in 2011 and carried on with her passion. An said her biggest challenge as a fine art student at Hongik University in Seoul was finding her identity as an artist.

Some North Korean defector painters, who had settled in the South before her, denounced the regime by depicting the harsh reality of North Korea on their canvases.

"Although I think such work should be done by someone, it was not what I wanted," An said. "I did not want either propaganda or counterpropaganda to define my work or who I am. I just wanted to be an artist, a contemporary artist who has her unique color and identity."

In this November 2018 file photo, an artist draws a landscape on Moranbong, also known as Moran Hill, in central Pyongyang, North Korea. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho

When she left North Korea, she was too young to understand politics. But in Hoeryong, her hometown city near the border with China, she dreamed of a better life.

"My house was situated by the river. So I was able to see what was happening on the other side. It was a small Chinese village. But on big holidays, I could see the lights ― lots of lights ― throughout the night. To me, China was the new world I dreamed of," An said.

However, that was not her mother's plan. After a short stay in China, they ― along with their two relatives ― entered South Korea through another country. Asked about her first impression of South Korea, she said, "It was like arriving in the future after jumping 20 years through a time machine."

Life in Seoul was not easy. "I did not talk much (with the North Korean accent) because I did not want to reveal that I came from there. So it was difficult to make friends, and the school was extremely competitive," she said.

Her life changed dramatically when she discovered Christianity as well as meeting her future husband, now a theology student.

"It all greatly affected the subjects and themes of my work and what kind artist and person I would like to be," An said. "But I do not want my work to be categorized as 'religious,' which would limit my audience to a certain group of people. That's why I want to keep my identity as a contemporary artist and continue to learn and evolve to be recognized as a successful one in my field."

Commercial success has never been her goal. After experiencing vastly different lives in the two Koreas ― one far richer than the other ― she concluded that money isn't what gives her joy.

"But I would like to become an influential artist so that I can use that influence to spread the message of God through my work," she said.