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Art protects art
8 out of 10
artists are shut out by banks
354
loans extended to fellow artists
95%
repayment rate — trust comes full circle
~KRW 140M
interest saved vs. predatory rates
Until the next exhibition, the next performance. For artists, income gaps are an unavoidable reality. For fellow artists forced into predatory loans just to afford paint, canvas, and studio rent, proceeds from this artwork become the Seed Fund — extending a fair hand at fair rates.
Voices of fellow artists
“The memory of going hungry for three days, alone, so my children wouldn't know.”
— 50s, theater artist
“I've been putting off urgent dental treatment because I can't afford it. I should be seeing a doctor regularly, but enduring instead of going has become a habit.”
— 50s, actor
“I kept delaying ear treatment because I had no money, and the symptoms in both ears worsened.”
— 30s, musician
“I couldn't pay my hospitalized mother's bills, so we had to delay her discharge, and she had to give up tests and treatment she needed.”
— 50s, actor/broadcaster
“Because of money troubles I had nowhere to go — drifting between gosiwon rooms and rehearsal studios, and for a while sleeping rough.”
— 30s, musician
“Because of unpaid rent, my collective was forced to vacate our shared workspace and home. Neither bank loans nor artist loans could help.”
— 50s, actor
“Without money, life collapses — and creating art? Out of the question.”
— 50s, artist
“It's painful that solving this month's money problems has to come before the work itself. As an artist, I can only earn well when the work succeeds — yet I have to chase odd jobs every month instead. It feels like being trapped in a vicious cycle.”
— 40s, musician
“Debt collection calls disrupted my rehearsals and performances, and the psychological burden made every day painful and the next day frightening.”
— 40s, theater artist
“Many times the loan payments looming each month forced me to step away from performing and focus on part-time work.”
— 50s, actor
“Sleeping less than four hours a night, juggling part-time jobs and theater — but the more I performed, the more debt piled up. Eventually I decided to quit performing.”
— 30s, actor
“When things were hardest, I couldn't even attend close friends' weddings or funerals — and as a result, relationships were severed.”
— 50s, actor/broadcaster
“When I said I was a stage actor, the loan officer called me "unemployed."”
— 50s, actor
“The shame and severed friendships that came with borrowing from people I knew, the pressure of failing to pay it back, the helplessness.”
— 50s, cartoonist/visual artist
“Even with programs meant for low-income citizens, I feel shame when I can't produce enough documentation simply because I'm an artist.”
— 30s, film/broadcasting professional
68 artworks sold, each becoming a seed of solidarity
One artwork becomes the oxygen that keeps a fellow artist creating.
Sales proceeds go to the artist mutual-aid fund.
Family
Cheon Jisu
About the Artist
Cheon Jisu is an artist working across painting, illustration, and book criticism. From 〈Giggle〉 at Moro Gallery in Seoul (2001) to 〈Library Fantasy〉 at The Space Gallery in Osan (2025), she has held nine solo and curated invitational exhibitions, with international engagements including 〈A Midsummer Night's Dream〉 at the Korean Embassy in Italy in Rome (2005) and a two-person exhibition at Kuga Museum of Art in Fukuoka, Japan (2018). She received the Grand Prize (Primo Premio) at the 4th Giovanni Pericone National Art Competition in Italy (2003), and in 2008 participated in the rock mural restoration at the UNESCO-designated Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. In 2021, she published the illustrated book-review collection Reading Atelier (Cheonnyeon-ui Sangsang). Her works are held in the collections of the Korean Embassy in Italy, the Rotary Club Fiuggi, and the Asia Publishing Culture Information Center.
About this work
〈Family〉 is a Painting work by Cheon Jisu. Created in 2025 on Oil on canvas, measuring 27x27cm. Available as an original Korean contemporary artwork at SAF Online.
Key Career Highlights
Solo Exhibitions
1st 2001.5 'Giggle' Curated Invitational (Moro Gallery, Seoul)
2nd 2001.11 'Time & Space' (Artist Guild Space Gallery, Paris, France)
3rd 2005.5 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Curated Invitational (Korean Embassy in Italy, Rome, Italy)
4th 2010.5 'Children's Play' Curated Invitational (Art Space H, Seoul)
5th 2021.6 'Reading Atelier Publication Memorial Curated Invitational' (Paju Wisdom Forest)
6th 2024.9 'Key to Open Myself' Curated Invitational (Chuncheon Gallery The Way)
7th 2025.4 'Reading Atelier' Curated Invitational (Suwon Gallery Yeongtong)
8th 2025.5 'Shape of Life' Curated Invitational (Paju Gallery Jijihyang)
9th 2025.12 'Library Fantasy' Curated Invitational (Osan The Space Gallery)
2-Person Exhibition
2018.6 'Method of Creating Energy for Life' (Kuga Museum of Art Curated Invitational, Fukuoka, Japan)
Awards
1997 University Art Exhibition - Special Selection (Honam University)
2003 4th Giovanni Pericone National Art Competition - Grand Prize (Primo Premio)
Mural Restoration
2008 Rock Mural Restoration (UNESCO World Heritage Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Africa)
Collections
Korean Embassy in Italy
Korean Catholic Church in Rome, Italy
Rotary Club Fiuggi, Italy
Asia Publishing Culture Information Center
Korean Culture Contents Research Institute
Group Exhibitions
1997-1999, 2006 'Color' Exhibition (Gwanhun Gallery, Seoul)
1998 Print Academy Exhibition (MMCA Gwacheon)
1999 Dongki Exhibition (Gwanhun Gallery, Seoul)
Version Channels (Gallery Boda, Seoul)
2003 'Glocallizzazione' (Inter Culturale Permanente Roma Gallery, Rome, Italy)
2010 Dongduk 100th Anniversary / Dongduk Women's University 60th Anniversary Exhibition (Dongduk Art Gallery)
2018 Dongduk Women's University Painting Department 50th Anniversary Mokhwa Exhibition (Dongduk Art Gallery, Dongduk Women's University Museum)
2020 30th Mokhwa Exhibition (Online)
2021 6th His Art Fair (Insa Art Plaza)
2021 Something Exhibition (Raemian Gallery)
2022 31st Mokhwa Exhibition (Online)
2022 Book Artist Tent (Paju Wisdom Forest)
2024 Today's Suwon Exhibition (Suwon Municipal Manseok Exhibition Hall)
2025 32nd Mokhwa Exhibition (Dongduk Gallery)
2025 LA Art Show (LA Convention Center) / BAMA Busan International Art Fair (BEXCO) / Gyeongnam Art Fair (Changwon Convention Center)
Publication
2021.6 'Reading Atelier' Published (Cheonnyeon-ui Sangsang)
Column Serializations
2016.8-2020.12 Sports Kyunghyang Painting Book Review 'Cheon Jisu's Reading Atelier' Column
2023.2-2024.5 Sports Kyunghyang 'Picture Books Read by Cheon Jisu' Reviews
2023.8-Present Chaekkiraut, Culture News, MHN Sports 'Picture Books Read by Cheon Jisu' Reviews
Related materials
Magazine
Paintings Born Inside Books: Cheon Jisu's Painting Book Review
Cheon Jisu reads before she paints — *Painting Book Review*. Books deconstructed, reconstructed into jungles, libraries, and the memory of an African commission.
Apr 20, 2026 · Seed Art Festival
SAF Painters — From Korean Painting to Abstraction
The 40+ painters of SAF 2026, read across six lineages — from Reality and Utterance founders to KAIST-trained painters, Brussels sculpture MFAs, and Goryeo-Buddhist-painting masters.
Apr 20, 2026 · Seed Art Festival
Contemporary Art Pricing — Artist, Medium, Size, Date: 4 Factors of Korean Art Market
“Is this price fair?” The question every buyer asks. To answer it you need to understand the four forces that set art prices: artist, medium, size, and date.
May 2, 2026 · Seed Art FestivalOther works by Cheon Jisu
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Two beginnings made by one piece
- For you —
- One-of-a-kind in the world
- For the artist —
- the next month of their practice
- For a fellow artist —
- a new ₩3,000,000 path of low-interest support
354 artists have walked this path of recovery; 95% returned to open it for the next.