PIZZAS FOR THE PEOPLE

HWANG KIM, SOUTH KOREA

North Korea is one of the most culturally isolated countries in the world. To protect the national identity from what is viewed as potentially corrupting outside influences, the government tightly controls all media. However, when recently deceased leader Kim Jong Il decided that the availability of pizza to the wealthy political elite was of national importance, it led to the opening of the first ever North Korean pizzeria. In response, artist Hwang Kim arranged to smuggle an instructional DVD for making pizza into North Korea, where it would be regarded as illegal propaganda. Pizzas for the People explores how design can playfully contribute and impact on a social and cultural level, subtly challenging an ideological status quo.