Asia's largest design event showcased an unlikely hero: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
The communist dictator was featured on key chains, T-shirts, and other artwork featured on May 27 at Design Festa in Tokyo -— an event featuring 6,000 artists from across the region.
One stall displayed greeting cards showing the leader, who famously sports a quiff, dressed as Elvis Presley and was titled "Jong-il B. Goode" — taken from the song "Johnny B. Goode" by another rock 'n' roller of the 1950s, Chuck Berry.
Photo: AP
In apparent reference to an ongoing international standoff over North Korea's nuclear ambitions — and following Pyongyang's test of a nuclear weapon last October — other cards showed the secretive Kim posing in front of spy ships and mushroom clouds.
Elsewhere, key chains depicting the leader tied up in Japanese-style bondage ropes were sold out. Also popular was a stall selling T-shirts emblazoned with cartoon images of the leader.
"Kim Jong-il was one of our most popular models," said key chain designer Hayato Sakai, 32. "It's just a joke. Nobody takes it seriously."
"I think it's a timely theme," said illustrator Naotoshi Inoue, 46, who drew the Kim postcards. The design event opened just days after North Korea test-fired at least one short-range missile into waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
"If you think seriously about what Kim Jong-il is doing, it's so scary. But that's why it may also help to laugh," Inoue said.
Design Festa is held twice a year in Tokyo and is billed as Asia's biggest design event. About 60,000 people were expected to attend.(AP)
北韓領袖金正日雖稱不上英雄人物，卻在亞洲最大的設計展上出盡風頭。
五月二十七日在東京舉行的Design Festa設計展，吸引了亞洲各地六千名藝術家參展，共產獨裁者金正日成了鑰匙圈、T恤及其他藝術作品的靈感來源。
有個攤位展示了金正日將前額頭髮往上梳、扮成貓王模樣的賀卡，這組卡片名為Jong Il B. Goode，靈感來自一九五０年代另一名搖滾歌手查克．貝瑞的歌曲《Johnny B. Goode》。
北韓發展核武的野心及平壤去年十月進行核武測試所引發的國際僵局，儼然成為藝術家的創作題材；另一組賀卡上，則可看到神秘兮兮的金正日在幾艘間諜船和蕈狀雲前擺弄姿勢。
展場別處，身上綁著日式情趣繩的金正日鑰匙圈已經賣光。販售金正日卡通圖案T恤的攤位一樣人氣強強滾。
三十二歲的鑰匙圈設計師酒井隼人（譯音）說：「金正日是我們最受歡迎的模特兒之一。大家只是開開玩笑，不必太認真。」
設計金正日插畫明信片的四十六歲插畫家井上真敏（譯音）說：「我想這主題剛好反映時事。」這場設計展舉行的前幾天，北韓才朝北韓半島及日本之間的海域試射了至少一枚短程飛彈。
井上說：「如果認真看待金正日所為，的確令人毛骨悚然，但或許會讓大家莞爾一笑。」
每年在東京舉行兩次的Design Festa堪稱亞洲最大的設計展，預估會吸引大約六萬名民眾到場參觀。
（美聯社／翻譯：林倩如）
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