beijing architectural landmarks painted as socialist utopia

beijing architectural landmarks painted as socialist utopias
the CCTV headquarters by OMA
image courtesy of the beautiful future

two western expats– nick bonner of koryo tours and dominic johnson-hill of plastered 8 — who have lived in beijing for 20 years, have selected north korean propaganda artists to create a series of images that depict an ideal chinese utopia, complete with contemporary beijing architectural landmarks. ‘the beautiful future’ reveals an imagined future of china, a city whose traditional socialist ideas are countered by whimsical happenings, modern city idols, and pleasantries in the street. the three renowned beijing architectural landmarks featured in the paintings are the beijing national aquatics center (the water cube) by chris bosse of PTW architects , the CCTV headquarters by OMA, and the bird’s nest olympic stadium by herzog & de meuron with ai weiwei. crowds of happy passersby and vibrantly colored flowers surround the public spaces, their gleaming smiles juxtaposing what would be massive crowds and city streets, presenting a alteration of the current reality.

the bird’s nest olympic stadium by herzog & de meuron with ai weiwei
image courtesy of the beautiful future

the beijing national aquatics center (the water cube) by chris bosse of PTW architects
image courtesy of the beautiful future

the CCTV headquarters by OMA
image courtesy of the beautiful future