Inside North Korea

Oliver Wainwright examines the architecture of the hermit kingdom

Based on photographs taken by Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright on a 2015 tour of the DPRK, ‘Inside North Korea’ captures the pastel-hued surrealism of an architectural culture that has grown in relative isolation (though not wholly without reference to external influences), and reflects both the whims of the country’s autocratic leaders and its Juche ideology of national self-reliance. Wainwright explores architecture as a tool and expression of power, but also uncovers enjoyably quirky aesthetic moments and intriguing social scenes. What there is not – understandably, given the restrictions of chaperoned tours – is much evidence of the darker sides of life in the hermit kingdom.