Sunset Over North Korea: Yeonpyeong Island

Presented as a comical karaoke video, Sunset Over North Korea: Yeonpyeong Island attempts to convey the geopolitical struggle between North and South Korea. Shot from Yeonpyeong, the closest South Korean island to North Korea (7.5 miles south) and a site of repeated North Korean bombings, Moro’s work combines the lyrics to Elton John’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me with romantic sunset views. These two elements cunningly reference South Korea’s failed Sunshine Policy (1998-2007), an attempt to warm relations with North Korea via tourism, business development, and reunited railroads.

In true karaoke style, a microphone is available for viewers to sing along.


Biography
Takeshi Moro was born in Fukaya, Japan and spent most of his childhood in the UK. He attended Brown University, where he double majored in Economics and Visual Arts, while also taking photography courses at the Rhode Island School of Design. Moro worked in the fields of corporate finance and marketing/design before receiving his M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Santa Clara University. He is the founder and director of tmoro projects, a 501©(3) non-profit community artist project space in Silicon Valley. He has participated in fellowships and residencies in Finland, South Korea, Iceland, and Germany. Moro’s work has been exhibited internationally, including a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and Serlachius Museot, Finland.

takeshimoro.com