Political Art / Kim Jong-Il - Viva Las Vegas!

Nadia Khuzina, MFA

This propaganda painting represents the real Kim Jong-Il the rest of the world doesn't get to see in the news. He might be fighting imperialist America, but he still craves some of the more wholesome aspects of American culture such as Elvis and the fine Tennessee whiskey of Jack Daniel's.

The Korean text (비바 라스베가스) says phonetically "Pipa Las Vegassa!" (Viva Las Vegas! obviously in English). I went through a few Korean lessons online to make sure I knew what I was doing with the alphabet. Korean is really quite easy to read as it has a normal phonetic system and fixed alphabet, unlike traditional Chinese writing which is just well, impossible. Speaking Korean is a far different animal however, and I think I have a long ways to go on that front.

North Korea is no stranger to gambling even though it is banned in the fatherland. The DPRK makes a significant portion of its income from pachinko parlours abroad in Japan. North Korean agents are also regulars in high-stakes poker games around the world, sending back their winnings. I've been told rumor has it Kim Jong-Il is actually a very good poker player in spite of the published fantasy in regards to his personal endeavours such as golf.

This work is really fun and light hearted, and I really enjoyed making it. My husband (who is a professional poker player) enjoyed pretending to be Kim Jong-Il and had the idea for a motion sensor. When you approach the painting a motion sensor activated device plays a 10 second clip of Elvis' famed song, Viva Las Vegas.