Even before Hollywood came out with the 2005 remake of House of Wax (y'know, the film in which Paris Hilton's character gets killed by a waxwork master), there has always been something unsettling and eerie about wax statues to us. Even so, it's easy to see the appeal: if you can't score a photo with a famous celebrity, one with his or her lifelike replica may be the next best thing. That is the opinion of Chinese waxwork artist Zhang Molei, who created and gifted North Korea with wax statues of the late Kim Jong-il and his deceased father Kim Il-sung.
Zhang got into this unique field after a visit to Madame Tussauds. Unimpressed by the museum's take on Mao Zedong, Zhang decided to create his own version of the former Chinese political leader along with several others. Then in 1994, after North Korean officials discovered Zhang's work, they enlisted him to make a wax recreation of the recently deceased Kim Il-sung, pictured above. When Kim Jong-il died in 2011, North Korea requested Zhang's services again.
The difference between North Koreans and the rest of the world, however, is that no one in North Korea would dare step too close to the two statues, let alone pose for a photo with the sculptures.
"For North Korean people, it’s like being close to a god,” Zhang told the Guardian. “They respect the figures in the way they would respect the actual person; it’s not just a piece of art. Even senior officials keep a distance of at least 1.5 meters. No one would touch their clothes or hair.” In fact, the people get so emotional, they often break down into tears.
[via ArtNetNews]
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