German artistry: fashion trumps globalization
By Ines Min
Staff reporter
These days, the locale of where an item was manufactured is as important as who the producer was. With the number of outsourcing and offshore factories ceaselessly growing, a number of companies have begun to spin the value of products made right at home. Boldly emblazoned tags and stickers claiming origins to be ``Made in Korea’’ or ``Made in America.’’
Artist Dirk Fleischmann approaches this concept of local goods and globalization with his latest project ― and it’s not what one might expect from a typical exhibition. The German-native designed and created an artist’s book, comprised of button-up shirts made at the Gaesong Industrial Complex, complete with a ``Made in North Korea’’ tag, and packaged with related political information on the complex.
``I’m interested in places that are accessibly only through special routes or regulations,’’ Fleischmann told The Korea Times in an interview Saturday. ``And I was always very much interested in these free-trade and special economic zones.’’
Upon his first visit here five years ago, the artist, and now professor at Hansung University, first learned about the industrial region located right at the cusp of the two borders. This would eventually lead to his new fashion line.
``When I read newspapers, sometimes I would find articles that talk about Gaesong, and I found it interesting (to see) in what kind of context this place is mentioned,’’ he said. ``When you go to the Philippines, for example, there are only economic issues that regulate free-trade zones there. But here, it can be about so many different issues.’’
Another element behind his motivation for the clothing production hits closer to how these zones have affected his home country.
``My basic interest with this whole fashion thing is globalization. In Germany, for example, you can hardly find a company that produces garments. This is rare and has completely disappeared, because all the production was already offshore from the ‘70s onwards.’’
So, Fleischmann started with an Internet search on how to begin work at Gaesong. The process, surprisingly, was fairly simple, and a few months later production began on the custom-designed and limited edition of the soft, cotton shirts.
The final product, featuring semi-mandarin collars, beautifully curved sleeve openings and buttons made of shell, comes with a ``newspaper’’ of Gaesong coverage ― which amounts to more than 1,200 media articles crammed into a 16-page pamphlet ― all designed and created on the peninsula.
So what was it like inside the complex? Fleischmann visited the factories several times during production, which began right before the sinking of the Cheonan warship. The artist was even present when the North expelled eight South Korean officers from Gaesong.
``You see the TV in the evening and you think, oh my god what’s going on here, but during the day when you’re inside the factory you don’t feel anything like that,’’ he said. ``You’re around 1,000 North Korean people working around you, the checkpoint people are friendly and you don’t get any feeling of that. That was a very interesting experience for me.’’
Of course certain protocol had to be taken, with some of his Korean assistants requiring a three-hour-long educational program online, which taught them to avoid certain topics and learn proper referrals (``North Korean’’ being obviously unacceptable).
This process of integrating into a business model is not new for Fleischmann, however, who is now an old hat at creating social commentary through demonstration. From selling candy bars in his student studio to investing in solar panels, this artist has refined the skill of adaptation and uses the rolling profits of each to invest into his next artwork.
``I have this possibility to somehow, with this economy, to not only look at something, I can be inside something. And this is why I use economy as a process in my art, because it brings me to places where I otherwise could not go to.’’
He avoids falling into the traps of capitalism, however, by maintaining a key characteristic: everything stays small-scale, making it personal. This is opposed to the mass conglomerates that serve as faceless entities.
Fleischmann’s removal from the situation, as an artist, provides enough for him to find a new perspective.
``This distance is an element of my personality and of my understanding of the situation,’’ he said. ``This is more inspiring for me than to just work in the studio like a traditional artist would do. My artwork, it becomes an experience and it also creates an experiential knowledge for me.’’
Only 500 artists’ books were created for his project and are currently being sold through local retailers from Fleischmann’s rooftop store in Seongbuk-dong, at a price of 200,000 won. Independent publisher Mediabus will also carry the work at The Book Society, in Sansgu-dong, which will hold a public book presentation on Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. Appointments or any inquiries can be made directly with the artist, at
. For more information about his work visit www.dirkfleischmann.net.