Humanity Within the Architecture of Control

  • Dates
    2019 - 2019
  • Author
  • Locations North Korea, Pyongyang, Kaesŏng, Nampo

A photographic study of daily life in North Korea, examining how architecture, scale, and public space shape movement, behavior, and presence. The work observes how ordinary gestures persist within systems designed to impose order.

North Korea presents daily life within landscapes structured by authority. Streets, monuments, and systems impose order and scale, shaping how people move, wait, and occupy public space.

This series examines the tension between individual presence and the architecture that contains it. Rather than seeking spectacle or revelation, the work observes how ordinary life persists inside rigid structures, where space, routine, restraint, and small gestures quietly define the limits of expression.

This project is a candidate for PhMuseum 2026 Photography Grant

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© Luke Gram - Traffic guard in Nampo
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Traffic guard in Nampo

© Luke Gram - Rush hour in Kaesong
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Rush hour in Kaesong

© Luke Gram - Glances from the next train over
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Glances from the next train over

© Luke Gram - A brief pause from labour, Pyongyang.
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A brief pause from labour, Pyongyang.

© Luke Gram - Station attendant, Pyongyang.
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Station attendant, Pyongyang.

© Luke Gram - Waiting for the bus, Nampo
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Waiting for the bus, Nampo

© Luke Gram - Pedestrians in Pyongyang
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Pedestrians in Pyongyang

© Luke Gram - Under the light of propaganda, Pyongyang.
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Under the light of propaganda, Pyongyang.

© Luke Gram - The path home, Kaesong
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The path home, Kaesong

© Luke Gram - Morning commute, Nampo
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Morning commute, Nampo

© Luke Gram - Kim Il Sung Square, Pyongyang
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Kim Il Sung Square, Pyongyang

© Luke Gram - Women soldiers, Pyongyang.
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Women soldiers, Pyongyang.