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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
63 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.
Playground n'3
Choe Hyesu
About the Artist
Choi Hyesu is a visual artist who records questions about human existence and the meaning of life through art. Her work originates from observing and reinterpreting finite life, revealing moments of fullness and deficiency, connection and disconnection hidden within repetitive daily routines. Through this, she guides viewers to reflect on their own existence and journey, expanding contemplation on the unique calling and meaning inherent in each person's life.
About this work
〈Playground n'3〉 is a Painting work by Choe Hyesu. Created in 2023 on Cement, faux gold leaf, wax, acrylic, measuring 72.7x91cm. Available as an original Korean contemporary artwork at SAF Online.
Key Career Highlights
Education
2019 M.F.A., Sculpture, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, Belgium
2016 B.F.A., Sculpture, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, Belgium
2015 DNAP, School of Fine Arts, Toulon, France
Awards & Selections
2024 Angeli Museum Award
2023 Nowon Cultural Foundation <Gyeongchunseonsupgil Gallery & Culture Space Jeongdam 2023 Visual Arts Exhibition Support Project>
2021 Porsche Korea 'Dreamers On Art Award' Selected
2021 7th Gasong Art Award 'Excellence Award' (Dongwha Pharmaceutical Gasong Foundation)
2020 Mapo-gu <Our Neighborhood Artterieur Project>
2017 'Young Belgian Talents' Selected (Affordable Art Fair Brussels)
Solo Exhibitions
2023 <Record of Traces n'1>, CICA Museum, Gimpo
Group Exhibitions
2024 <Drawing Now 2024>, CICA Museum, Gimpo
2024 <19th Gwanghwamun International Art Festival - 2023 Asian Contemporary Art Young Artist Exhibition>, Sejong Center Museum, Seoul
2024 <Ninja>, Space Tu, Seoul
2024 <AAC Beautiful Companionship>, Angeli Museum, Yongin
2023 <Gyeongchunseonsupgil Gallery & Culture Space Jeongdam 2023 Visual Arts Exhibition Support Project by Nowon Cultural Foundation>, Gyeongchun Line Forest Gallery, Seoul
2023 <Garden of April>, Gallery The J, Incheon
2022 <Between Time and Space: Youth, Vibe>, Iksan Youth Hall, Iksan
2022 <2022 Green Renaissance Project "Nature Art Cube Exhibition" by Group Yatu>, Jeonju Palbok Art Factory, Jeonju
2022 <Drawinging Drawing Festival>, Insa 1010, Seoul
2022 <THE HOUSE OF MACAN BY Porsche Korea>, Cafe Poze, Seoul
2021 <Dreamers.On in Porsche Now Busan>, PIAK, Busan
2021 <Choice and Change>, (EX) Iri Financial Association, Iksan
2021 <2021 Gwangju Design Biennale_Dreamers.On by Porsche Korea>, Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju
2021 <7th Summer Saengsaek>, Insa Art Center, Seoul
2020 <Chungbuk Education & Culture Center Special Exhibition 'Nature Art Cube 12x12x12+Nature'>, Yebom Gallery, Cheongju
2020 <Geumgang Nature Art Biennale 2020 'Nature Art Cube 12x12x12+Nature'>, Geumgang Nature Art Center, Gongju
2020 <Abstract Mind>, CICA Museum, Gimpo
2018 <Festival 'Triennale de l'art et du Végétal'>, La Maison Culturelle d'Ath Center, Ath, Belgium
2018 <Love - Ath>, Espace Alternatif, Ath, Belgium
2018 <Carte de Visite>, ARTopenKUNST Espace Vanderborght, Brussels, Belgium
2017 <L'Apropos>, KULTURANIVL, Nivelles, Belgium
2017 <Autonomy>, Espace Alternatif, Brussels, Belgium
2017 <Young Belgian Talents 6 Artists>, Affordable Art Fair Brussels, Tour & Taxis, Brussels, Belgium
2017 <Carte de Visite>, ARTopenKUNST Espace Vanderborght, Brussels, Belgium
2016 <Ministère d'Affairs Intérieures>, Espace Alternatif, Brussels, Belgium
2016 <Extraordinaires Objets de l'Ordinaire>, Galerie des AAB, Paris, France
2016 <Cachan Biennale d'Art Contemporain>, Hôtel de Ville-Orangerie-Château Raspail, Cachan, France
2014 <INSTALLATION PRESSING - EBB AND FLOW>, Galerie Le Pressing, La Seyne-sur-Mer, France
Collections
Dongwha Pharmaceutical
Related materials
Magazine
From Brussels to Yongin, A Playground of Cement and Gold Leaf: Choe Hyesu's Finite Life
Choe Hyesu's *Playground* is made of cement and faux gold leaf. Toulon and Brussels training; Porsche and Gasong awards; Angeli Museum Prize.
2026-04-20 · Seed Art Festival
Sculpted by Hand — Sculpture and Ceramics at SAF
Sculpture and ceramics at SAF 2026 — few in number, wide in world. From Yang Sun-yeol's roly-poly resin to Kim Ju-ho's ceramic, with a farewell to Lee Iktae (1947–2025).
2026-04-20 · 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.
2026-04-20 · Seed Art FestivalOther works by Choe Hyesu
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Recently Sold
63 artworks sold recently
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.