No Motherland Without You: Images of North Korea features photographs taken by Tom Wagner during four visits to North Korea between 1995 and 2004. The work presents North Korea as a place of looking, of guessing, of watching and of being watched. It is the tourist equivalent of the biggest roller coaster, the fear and exhilaration of having done it and gotten away, to learn more about yourself and your presumptions of others than the place where you stand. 

Questions of propaganda and what is knowable are at the center of Wagner’s documentary projects. His photographs explore the impact of place and time on his subjects, not seeking answers but an entrance for viewers to create their own narratives and seek answers to questions they find within. Wagner is an award-winning photographer who has worked globally for magazines and Fortune 500 corporations in portraiture, news and stories, covering people and events in all facets of life. Currently based in West Michigan, he has lived in both Tokyo and London, and has done assignments in more than 35 countries.

Press release for No Motherland Without You