North Korea art to be shown at Gwangju Biennale in South

July 24 (UPI) -- North Korean artworks may soon be available for viewing in South Korea, and North Korean artists could be invited to attend the exhibit of their work in the South.

The Gwangju Biennale, which is to take place from Sept. 7 to Nov. 11, has received permission from South Korea's unification ministry to exhibit the North Korean works of art, News 1 reported Tuesday.

The artworks originate from Pyongyang's Mansudae Art Studio, but are in the custody of Beijing's Mansudae affiliate museum, according to the report.

There will be 22 works of North Korean art, and five of those works will be shown as a collection, the Gwangju Biennale said.

The North Korean artworks will be flown to South Korea around the end of July.

A Biennale representative told News 1 a proposal to invite a group of three North Korean artists has been submitted to the government.

It is the first exhibit of North Korean artwork for the public in the South, the Biennale's representative said.

The curator of the exhibit is Moon Beom-kang, who is based in the United States, and has visited North Korea nine times since 2011.

The Gwangju Biennale is a contemporary art biennale founded in 1995.

A total of 162 artists will be participating, representing 46 countries.

During previous South Korean administrations, paintings that were to be shown at the Biennale were banned, including work that criticized the former Park Geun-hye administration's response to the Sewol ferry disaster.

South Korean artists like Hong Sung-dam were banned from showing their work at the Biennale in 2014, according to Yonhap.

Hong's work, "Sewol Owol," is on exhibit at the Insa Art Center in Seoul.