Photographer Raphael Olivier Offers a Rare Peek Inside North Korea's Capital

Aside from his commercial work that spans industrial, corporate and retail, Singapore-based photographer Raphael Olivier is also one for urban documentary. The French shooter recently unveiled his latest photo series titled “Vintage Socialist Architecture” that portrays a pastel-ridden assortment of structures, spaces and interiors tucked inside North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang. After having obtained a Visa, Olivier spent a week snagging shots of the Hermit Kingdom. “Visually, Pyongyang is just so surreal,” he told The Spaces. “Spectacular architecture, unique pastel colours, impeccable symmetrical designs. The place is bare, raw, and radiates a powerful energy of its own. This is what intrigued me.”

According to TIME, North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un surprisingly loosened travel restrictions earlier this year. “North Korea welcomed 100,000 visitors in 2014, mostly from neighboring China, and officials say they want 1 million tourists by 2017 and 2 million by 2020,” the website reported. Still, if you’re fortunate enough to gain entry into the (not-so-hermit?) Hermit Kingdom, you may want to keep these strict guidelines in mind.

Peruse the photos above and head over to Olivier’s official website to view more of his striking work.