I Am Sun Mu (2015) - full transcript

A professor told me that I look

South Korean by appearance,

but I was North Korean by heart.

I replied, "Yeah, you are right.

I am a North Korean inside out,

and I don't want to deny it."

I want my friends and family
back in North Korea

to live a better life.

I long for a world
where people in North Korea

and South Korea live peacefully.

It's not like I'm putting
myself in danger on purpose.



I've just been doing what I have to do.

This is just what I'm destined for.

Destroy American invaders.

Whenever I come to China,
the nervousness and fear

that I had ten years ago comes right back.

Of course it's less than
it was ten years ago,

but that memory is still vivid.

I feel like every time
I come back to China

it will be like this.

I work in hiding, but also publicly.

That's what makes art so fun.

Even if you work in the dark,
it doesn't stay in the dark.

It becomes public.

It's fun.



I like it.

I had my first exhibition
upon graduating college.

It caught the media's attention.

Then during my first solo exhibition,

the media came again
and wrote about my artwork.

I created a piece,

there's a bedridden Kim Jong Il,

and a kid is handing him a coke bottle.

It's called "Take Some Medicine."

That was published in Time magazine.

So far I've had exhibits in Melbourne,

Norway,

New York,

Berlin.

Why don't you show your face?

Well, if I showed my face in public,

it is clear that my parents
and siblings living in North Korea

will be in danger.

This damn world hasn't allowed
me to present myself publicly.

That's the only reason
I can't reveal who I am.

There is nothing to envy in the world.

When I first met him,
I didn't like him that much.

He came wearing socks
that had holes in them

and it was winter,
so he wore two sets of long Johns,

and two sweaters,

and a jacket that had lost
all its insulating cotton.

We started dating and I was so curious.

It was my first time meeting a defector.

I didn't even know there was such a thing
as a North Korean defector.

I also had experienced a lot of
heartbreak within my family.

But I realized he had experienced
a different kind of heartbreak.

Is it okay?

My kids are so blessed
to have Sun Mu as a dad.

He's very thoughtful,
and is like a friend to them.

-Should I do this again?
-Huh?

I am done!

One time, they asked
where their grandma was.

So I wanted to express that situation.

Grandma is in that neighborhood up north,

but we can't go
because of the barbed wire.

This is my first daughter.

Whenever talk of her grandma comes up,

she wants to send a letter in the mail,
but it can't be delivered.

So I expressed the reality of
north and south through this.

Korea says, 'Ya'.

We want peace.
I am Sun Mu.

I CAN...

In North Korea, there's no such thing
as contemporary art.

His experiences in North Korea

are part of his style,

but what he has felt here in the south
has also been mixed into his style.

If Korean reunification
were to suddenly happen,

I think it would resemble
Sun Mu's paintings.

HAPPINESS
I am Sun Mu.

My name is Cui Xianji.

This is a retrospective of my artwork.

A retrospective of an artist in his 50s,

and I get to show and look back

on all the artwork I have made thus far.

Because I'm second
generation Chinese-Korean

I know Korea better than
other Chinese people,

and I know China better
than any other Koreans.

It was 2008 when I originally met Sun Mu.

I was at the Busan Biennale in 2008

and there was an incident.

The night before the opening ceremony,
Sun Mu's painting was withdrawn.

The flag is upside down.

The flag suggests
the country is backwards.

My hands were trembling
when I was painting this piece.

I always had a fear that someone might
sneak up behind me and stab me.

It took a lot of courage.

There can be a fight between
the artist and the audience.

And in this fight based
on misunderstanding,

I was in the middle.

Only I could understand both sides.

People make it all politicized

whenever there is any image
of North Korea.

But that's my life story.

My name is Liang Kegang.

I am the director
of Beijing Yuan Art Museum.

I have worked at the Yuan Gallery
for three years,

and the gallery has been here
for six years.

Last year, artist Cui Xianji
introduced me to Sun Mu.

When I heard that he is
an artist who defected

from North Korea,
I became very interested.

In Beijing, there are
many North Korean artists

who draw their government's propaganda.

Those paintings look very funny.

They are like the Chinese
propaganda of 40 years ago

during the Cultural Revolution.

I had never met an artist
who escaped North Korea

and now does real contemporary art.

Ever since they started
the "Six Party Talks,"

it's never gone right.

But I was thinking,
what if it were little children?

If it were little children,

wouldn't they just hold hands
and play around together?

He didn't paint the suffering
and present only the wounds,

but he painted hope, a beautiful thing.
This is very precious.

At the end of 2013,
I went to Seoul with Cui Xianji,

and in Seoul,
I paid a visit to Sun Mu's studio.

And when I entered his studio,

it was very good work.
I liked it very much.

So I decided to do an art exhibition,

a solo exhibition for him.

North Korea is bound to know
about this exhibit,

since there's
a North Korean embassy there.

To be honest, this exhibition
worries me a lot.

I felt I had to give him my approval,
but we will have to be very cautious.

When I first saw the gallery
it seemed really big,

and I had a lot of stories in my mind.

I thought, "I want to have an exhibition
in a place like this,

I could really go all out
in a place like this,

especially in Beijing."

An exhibition in China
really means a lot to me.

Not only for me, but it will be
the same for every defector.

When they heard about the exhibition,

other North Korean defectors asked,

"Won't it be dangerous?"

It's on everybody's mind.

I am very concerned about how
many risks it will bring me.

It's hard to know

because the North Korean
government is very unreasonable.

They'd bomb a passenger flight,

or kidnap a Japanese teacher
so they can teach Japanese in North Korea.

This place means a lot to me.

On my second day in Beijing,

I wrote "heaven" on the wall
when I was drunk.

HEAVEN

I wanted to support Sun Mu
in any possible way.

We were sharing the same space
and working together,

and it was so much fun.

Do you know?

Growing up, we were in an environment

where all the learning was based
on Marx, Lenin and Mao's ideas.

But now I value my ideas more than theirs.

Sun Mu has found freedom in this studio,

and has found a person
who completely supports him.

Without my brother,
I don't think I would have been able

to have my exhibition in Beijing.

That's real barbed wire.

-Did you take them from the DMZ border?
-Yes.

It's really from the border!
That's why it means so much!

Be careful! The barbs are really sharp.

I don't want you to get hurt.

They had just replaced the barbed wires

that used to fence off the DMZ.

Think about it,
those fences were there for decades.

I felt like I could say many things

with these old barbed wires,
so I took some.

I made flowers using the wires.

When you left North Korea for China

what was the thing that
surprised you most?

Lights.

The glittering lights.

Plastic bags blowing in the wind.

Is this rotten capitalism?

Is this the rotten capitalism
the North has been talking about?

Why are so many lights on?

I thought, "Did I make the wrong decision?

Maybe what I see isn't reality?"

In my heart I still believed
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

How long was it before you realized

what you learned in North Korea was a lie?

About 10 years. Still to this day.

Please be with us forever.

This is me when I was young.

I used to sing since preschool.

I was on a team that travels
all over North Korea,

performing in front of whole schools,

or whole villages, pretty much anywhere.

Around the age of eight or nine

I turned on the TV and saw Kim Il Sung

with a bunch of kids
who had excelled at singing,

dancing, painting and writing.

Kim Il Sung was patting them on the back.

I thought to myself, "I can do that, too.

I can do that well,

and I can give Kim Il Sung pleasure!"

And, that's how I started.

Did you ever get punished
for drawing something

you weren't supposed to draw?

Since I was a good student, I didn't draw
anything I wasn't supposed to.

There are things you can't draw.

You can't draw Kim Jong Il,

and you wouldn't even dream
about drawing naked women.

I did draw Kim Il Sung once.

It was when I was in high school.

If I got caught, I would have been killed.

So I locked my door and drew Kim Il Sung.

I thought I could draw him well, too.

Even my parents didn't know.

I proved to myself that I have the skills

to draw Kim Il Sung exactly
like his portrait.

But before it was even dry, I burned it.

When I first joined the army,

I learned that they select the ones

that are good at writing
and drawing from the new recruits.

One day they said,

"Stand up if you
are good at writing or drawing."

He asked if I could work
on a poster for one day.

I answered

that I could whip something
like that up in an hour.

He didn't believe me at first.

Anyways, they ended up giving me one day
to work on this small poster.

I said to them, "I can do this."

So I did it.

They said, "A real talent
has joined the military."

SOLIDARITY

Destroy nuclear war plan of US.

For the undefeated unification!

The invader will be punished ruthlessly!

Let's repel the American invading army!

The blueprint hasn't been given to me yet.

We'd better not put this piece here.

So you are thinking about a week
for the installation process?

A week should do it.

I'm going to install everything first

and have my wife come
the day before the opening.

Another question,

will he be safe if he lives in Wangjing
during the days of the exhibition?

Well, no one has to know who I am, right?

I'm not going to meet anyone.

Ask him if he wants to go out
and take a look at my pieces

so he can have an idea
of how we would set up.

Okay, let's go.

The wires become music scores.

Great.

Wow, music comes out, too?

Yeah, that's my theme song.

How big is it?

It's five meters wide.

I thought I should try this at least once.

I wanted to express
the North Korean situation

to people as they come
into the exhibition.

So I intended to put these
words at the entrance

so the visitors have to step on the words
before coming in to see my artwork.

The three names representing
the supreme dignity

of North Korea are written there.

Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un.

No one would even dream
about stepping on those names.

I'm sure North Koreans staying in China,

like embassy staffers will come.

They will have to step on it
if they want to see the exhibition.

That might be pretty funny.

My exhibition won't make this art museum
shut down permanently, right?

I'm okay with my exhibition
being shut down...

All this stuff,

it's not possible this would shut it down?

He says that's not going to happen.

So many spies are in
the Wangjing district,

where our art museum is located.

And, so...

If they know about
the information about the exhibition

I think they will find
the government to stop it.

I think.

EVERYONE SHOULD PAY TAXES

So what do you remember from that night?

I don't want to say it.

Sorry.

It has had a big influence on me.

By the next day, we heard
that many university students

had died in Beijing the night before.

I don't know the exact death toll,

because the whole history has
been wiped out in China.

In China, it's risky to be a good artist.

I have been taking
the risk for over 20 years,

since I went to college.

Artists like us are considered sensitive,

and are strictly supervised
by the government.

This is my daughter.
Her name is Liang Xiao Me.

This is my son.

His name is Liang Ji Yen.
And we always call him Little Stone.

But in China, to be an artist
may be the only way

you can feel a little
feeling about freedom.

I've watched various
documentaries about space

and the universe since defecting.

Watching those,

I felt this earth that we live on
is a mere speck of dust,

but the humans living here are arguing,

fighting and killing each other.

What a shame before
the eyes of the aliens.

The stars here are not the same
as the stars in my hometown.

There, stars were like

a splash of white paint on a black canvas.

There was the Milky Way,
and sometimes I could see

stars moving, which I later
found out were satellites.

That was good. Looking up
at the night sky and viewing the stars.

Back then, I dreamt of being

an astronaut and visiting the galaxy.

Visiting the moon and stars
as an astronaut.

That's when I was young.

Now, when I see the night sky,

I feel just a fraction
of what I felt as a boy.

My hometown was in the countryside
so it had mountains,

rivers and goats living in the hills.

After Kim Il Sung died,
we had such torrential rainfall

and we lost a lot of crops.

The rations provided by the government
started getting delayed.

At first it was for one month...
Two months... Three months...

It kept getting delayed.

I don't think it was caused
by Kim Il Sung's death.

Maybe Kim Jong Il used all those resources

to secure his new regime

or for his leisure.

So many people didn't get the food
that should have been distributed.

Every day we'd hear, "So and so
in the next house has died.

And someone in that house died, too."

Looking from the outside,
they were way too naive.

All they did was work,

but in spite of their hard work,
they always struggled for food.

It breaks my heart.

It is very heavy.

There's no problem in putting in
the big pieces.

The other thing is
when you take them down...

-Can you put it in?
-Yes, I can.

We will do it this way.

This is...

I think this exhibition will become

my first step to more exhibitions.

A stepping stone.

A transformation point.

I was not sure if this exhibition

would even be possible.

I was nervous that there would be problems

before it even starts.

As we installed the work,

it hit me that my exhibition
will really happen.

So I'm really happy.

Move it there.

I think he is largely
motivated by the desire

for freedom and a better life.

Move it upward. It's deviating.

He is fortunate to have
defected successfully,

because I guess
about nine out of 10 defectors fail.

And failure could mean death.

This right here...

Once I crossed the Tumen River into China,

I started writing down all
my thoughts and feelings.

"Today is July 1st.

Under the street lamps,
the signs of restaurants

are lit up along the street.

The light is coming into my empty room

where I am sitting at the window, smoking.

Hey, you. What are you thinking about?

Are you missing the hometown
you've left behind?

Or are you dreaming about
the new land you will soon enter?

The cigarette is burned out
and I'm left with only ashes.

I flick my ash and stare
out the window, silently.

Well, I have no one to talk to anyway."

I didn't have any intention
of running away,

because I thought North Korea
was a great country.

I was just hungry.

One day, I climbed the mountain.

I made it to the top,

and the view was overlooking
a city in China.

I hid in the tobacco field
and waited for night to come.

In that moment,

everything including the sound
of the insects sounded so loud.

I was staying silent,

nervous that guards might be nearby.

After what felt like an eternity...

Let's go.

I am being too hesitant.

With all my fears and worries,
I put my feet into the river.

On the North Korean side
the river wasn't that deep,

but closer to the Chinese side,

the riverbed fell away beneath me.

So I swam.

I was right beneath
the Polaris star and the moon.

Looking at them, I started my journey.

Even until right before
I crossed the river,

I was certain that I'd come back.

But after I crossed the river,

I went up the mountain
and was wringing out my clothes,

I was looking back at North Korea,

and I thought,
"Maybe I won't be able to go back."

If I were to get caught in China,

I would get sent back
to North Korea anyway.

Well then, South Korea is my land, too,
so maybe I've got to go to the south.

I thought that way would be better.

Even if I die, it's better to
choose my own way.

So I left.

I wanted to go to South Korea,
but I didn't know how.

It took about a week to get out of China.

I got close to the border

and I was trying to figure out
how to get across.

There was a bus that was
going along the border.

I thought if I hop off that bus
after about 15 minutes,

we would be at the right place.

So that's what I did. I got off
and snuck across the border into Laos.

Once I made it safely to Thailand,

all I did was art until
I went to South Korea.

I still have a few pieces
I drew back then.

I was assigned to live
in Gongju, South Korea.

I was trying to meet up
with South Korean artists,

and soon found an art museum in Gongju.

The owner suggested that I apply
to a nearby school in Chungnam province

but I wanted to go to
Hongik University in Seoul.

I went there and asked
what I had to prepare,

and they said the drawing test
was all I had to take.

I was confident.

I went back and took the test

and then they sent me
my acceptance letter.

GRADUATE PHOTOGRAPHY

I realized that I, too,
have a story to tell the world.

I, too, have a reason for my existence.

This is all I know how to do,
so I'll just keep doing what I do.

I am going to use this to tell my story.

Someone has come.

We want peace.

I'm someone who takes risks.

I can't stop an exhibition

that I like so much just because of risks.

Whatever, that's my attitude.

Do you think there will be any threats
on the day of the event?

Yes. I'm sure there will be a threat.

But I don't want to let them know

who this crazy Sun Mu guy is
and where he lives.

Sun Mu told me if he got caught,
he would kill himself

because he doesn't want to
incriminate his family.

He doesn't want the government
to find out who he is.

That's why I can't be there
as Sun Mu at the opening ceremony.

I can't be there, but my artwork will.

That's the same as me being there.

Can you tell us the meaning of the piece
with the fish on a chopping board?

On a huge chopping board,
there's a little fish.

It's a boring fish

and big knives are pointing their blades
at the little fish.

Who knows how that little fish
will get sliced up?

I want to talk about how a powerful nation

will carve off a bigger chunk
with a bigger knife,

and smaller nations get smaller chunks.

Are you worried that your family

could be in danger if they are with you?

I do worry a little,
but when I'm with them

I'm not Sun Mu the artist,
I'm just the head of my family.

Well, I'm not sure
if the Chinese government

would acknowledge that difference.

We will just be a nice happy
family traveling around China.

Safety is the biggest concern for me,
since we're talking about family.

I don't have any room to worry
about anything else

but the safety of our family.

I hope my husband does well

but to be honest I'm worried
about this exhibition.

It's not like I'm putting
myself in danger purposely.

I'm just doing what I have to do.

Kill me and send me.
Do you know?

I have to cut this giant board into pieces

all around here.

Isn't it fun?

If we take a look at this piece.

It reads, "The view is good,
but it's also a good place to live,"

and there's a sassy girl looking back.

Her attire of a red scarf
and ribbon in her hair

shows that she's a typical
North Korean student.

But this "good place to live"
is not the North Korea we know.

So when people read this they might ask,
"Does the artist even know North Korea?"

What genre do you think Sun Mu
belongs to as an artist?

I'll give a simple answer.

Political pop art.

I don't know a thing about pop art.

I just do this, or I do that,
whatever I feel like doing.

I have no intention
of defining my art as pop art.

I don't know and I'm not interested.

Who is your biggest influence?

I don't have anyone who influences me.

Oh wait, there is.

Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

Is that funny?

Wow, the press release on your exhibition
has been viewed by 16,000 people.

It's spreading from person to person.

That's cool you can get those numbers.

Tomorrow there will be
an opening reception,

and after that we have
the performance, right?

Yes, maybe like this.

First, the opening. We start at four.

But it will be 4:30
when everyone gets here.

We won't have much time.

I'll make an opening announcement at 4:30,
marking the start of the exhibition.

The first thing to do is play his songs.

After the songs,
it's the performance of the children,

they will release the flag.

After the performance,
it's his thank you speech.

So after the flag performance,
we'll hear your words of gratitude.

-The one we recorded, right?
-Yes.

Tomorrow, I might come
with a group of visitors

and drift off without letting anyone know.

He's thinking about
pretending to be security.

He should get his hair cut.

We better be careful tomorrow.

Since the kids are too young
to know what's going on,

once they catch sight of Sun Mu,

they might give away Sun Mu's
identity right away.

So then as soon as the ceremony ends,
I'll take the kids upstairs.

I wish he wouldn't come to the opening
to be completely honest.

I even had a dream

that during the opening
he is captured and taken away.

Sometimes, I can't sleep
because of that fear.

COMRADE SUPREME COMMANDER

I envy no man on earth.

THE 61ST ANNIVERSARY
OF THE KOREAN WAR ARMISTICE

Stop it.

I do want to go to the gallery
and see how they've set it up.

But I think the gallery
wants me to stay quiet.

So I'll have to lay down this
title of Sun Mu for a bit

and go there as one of the visitors.

I've put so much effort
into all those pieces.

And now we're coming to the opening...

MILITARY DEMARCATION LINE

It's sad that I can't
stand there in public

and say, "I am Sun Mu."

Because that's who I am.

Has anybody from the government
come by, yet, today?

I think maybe in the morning
two guys come here.

Want to see first...

I'm not sure who they are
but from the clothes

and the feeling...

Seems like someone working
in the government come here.

I got a call saying that
I shouldn't come out.

It got Sun Mu and me all curious

so I ignored the call and went out.

Once I stepped out,
I saw police officers all over the place.

I chose to go to the coffee shop
on the second floor

instead of the first so as to
not raise suspicion.

On the second floor,
I ran into Liang and Liang's wife,

who were trying to hide.

As I was thinking to myself that
I should pick up a pamphlet,

the owner of the coffee shop asks,

"Isn't your husband
the artist doing the exhibition?"

I was so surprised.
If I had stayed there any longer,

they would soon find out
how I'm linked to Sun Mu

and I could become their
hostage in no time.

Hello?

The situation is,

there are some people standing
in front of the gallery

and some are wearing
North Korean pin badges.

And there's Chinese police.
They are having a conversation now.

Cars and... A lot of police officers.

I didn't get there until later,
around 3:30.

They began to stop people
from getting into the museum.

Yes, Mr. Cui.
Are you still staying around here?

In my opinion, it'd be better
if you stay away from here.

I didn't even know what
Sun Mu or we did wrong

but with the crowd of Chinese police
and North Koreans outside the gallery,

the situation was confusing.
But I thought, we're not criminals.

There were North Koreans

with Kim Il Sung badges
going here and there.

There were many North Koreans
outside of the museum.

They brought many North Koreans

with lapel pins on their chest.
There were dozens of them.

Why all the police?

I don't know.

Is this a non-profit exhibition?

Yes, yes.

Is this your full-time job
or your part-time job?

It's considered a full-time job.

I met him at a workshop.

Is he not there now?

I just received his paintings.

So this gentleman mailed
his paintings to a Korean

who knows you,
or is there someone else in between?

Well, Mr. Liang,
what I just asked first is...

They started investigating.

They interrogated me until
really late, about 3:00 a.m.

The streets near
the gallery were shut down.

People were only allowed
to get out, not in,

because the police were controlling it.

The banners outside
the gallery were torn down, too,

by people brought by the police.

The whole thing happened very suddenly.

We had a lot on our minds,
and our bodies were trembling in fear.

When we heard knocking on
the door we were so scared,

thinking it might be the police.

Go away! Move!

I'm staying back. I'm staying back.

Yeah.

The exhibition is shut down temporarily.

Thank you for understanding.

It looks like the North Koreans
asked the Chinese authorities

to put a stop to the whole exhibition.

Looking at what happened that day,
I think I underestimated the whole thing.

I could have been captured.

I did not expect all that.

With the help of Cui's wife,
we were able to change

our flight tickets so we
could leave right away.

When we were in the taxi to the airport,

I was worried about the possibility
of someone following us

and at the airport, I was worried

that the officials might detain us.

I even thought,
"What if they stop us before we take off?"

The feeling I had at the moment

our plane finally took off
is indescribable.

At that time, I was worried that
the North Korean government

might do something merciless to me.

They might send someone
to do something sketchy.

That's what I worry about.

It did get me into a lot of trouble.

I was summoned to the police station
several times after that day,

which put me under a lot of pressure,

and my phone was monitored for a while.

There is no one in the Chinese art world
that doesn't know about this exhibition.

Now, everyone knows that there is
a North Korean defector artist.

I believe Sun Mu's art
will eventually get into North Korea.

"If you kill a rooster,
the dawn will come nonetheless."

That's how I see all of this unfolding.

If you were able to go
back to North Korea,

what would you want to do the most?

I'd load up my car
with a pig, rice and booze

and go and throw a big party
in my hometown

so we could all eat
till our stomachs burst, for once.

Is there something you want to do there,
if you were allowed?

Well, I want to do
an exhibition in Pyongyang.

In my dream one day

I found Kim Jong Il at a bar

sitting by himself
in the corner, looking lonely.

And I was dressed very nicely.

I thought to myself,

"I believed in that man once,
but he looks so shabby tonight."

I tried to go
and give him something to eat,

but his pride wouldn't let him take it.

I have these dreams...

On another day,
I met Kim Jong Un in my dream.

He said, "Hey, I'll help
an esteemed artist like yourself

put on an exhibition in Pyongyang."

I said, "Is that so?

Well, if that's what you say,

it'll happen."