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At this year’s Venice Bienniale in Italy, the Korean pavilion has a curious exhibit called “Commissions for Utopia”. It includes renderings from North Korea’s top architects and artists (all anonymous), many of whom studied at the Paekho Institute of Architecture, North Korea’s state-run architectural college, and none of whom have ever left the country. They were asked to create a vision of North Korea’s future sustainable architecture for its expanding tourism industry. Their final products are a glimpse into what it would be like to envision the future after being entirely cut off from the present for almost 70 years. (Photos by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Luigi Costantini/Venice Architecture Biennale/AP Photo)


The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



The following “Utopian Tours” drawings are conceptual images of what tourism in North Korea might one day look like, created by North Korean architects. The images, curated by Nick Bonner, are on view as part of the exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale in the Korean Pavilion. Bonner runs the Beijing-based Koryo Tours – a company that organizes tours of outsiders into North Korea. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)



A man visits the Korean Pavilion during the 14th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy, Saturday, June 7, 2014. The pavilion won the Golden Lion award for the Best National Participation. (Photo by Luigi Costantini/AP Photo)
08 Aug 2014 11:03:00