Although the Democratic People's Republic of Korea seems rather mystifying to many people, the country has a rich cultural heritage. Among its artistic traditions, oil painting is the most superb. They exude a delightful beauty, conveying a sense of tranquility and brilliance.

In April 2016, I had the opportunity to serve as an envoy for cultural exchanges between China and the DPRK. Some of the DPRK's exceptional artists explained the nuances of their work to me. In a world full of diverse modes of artistic expression, the DPRK holds its own. Like a gentle breeze in spring, these stand out in a crowd of artworks from different cultures for their liveliness, humanity, elegance and delicate execution. For me, there was never a dull moment.

Art from the DPRK deserves to be studied and collected to a greater extent. Contemporary paintings, which typically feature pure, elegant, refined, joyous and authentic depictions of life in the country, are the fruits of the painstaking efforts of the artists and the devotion to their craft. They are unique and precious. Currently, these artworks are going at prices that do not match their artistic merit. So perhaps now is the time to collect these. This is an untapped treasure trove - an opportunity the international art market has not caught on yet.

We made our choices on the basis of the demands of the international art market. We also wanted a selection representative of the current artistic trends in the DPRK. Finally, we applied threes criteria to the selection process, choosing works by veteran artists, those collected by national-level art organizations and those by national-level award winners.

With increasing globalization, art from the DPRK is poised to enter the global market of art. Among all art genres in the country, oil painting is a distinctive and significant cultural phenomenon. And its future will be watched keenly and with great hopes.

(HK Edition 06/10/2016 page8)