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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
One artwork becomes the oxygen that keeps a fellow artist creating.
Sales proceeds go to the artist mutual-aid fund.
미국 국방비 2026 외 8점
Ju Jaehwan
- Exhibition
- Oh Yoon Terracotta Relief Exhibition
- Category
- Mixed Media
- Size
- 11×15cm · Size 0 · Small How big is this? →
- Year
- 2026
- Price
- ₩1,000,000
- Availability
- SOLD
About the Artist
Joo Jaehwan was born in Seoul in 1940. As a middle school student, he became enamored with Van Gogh and nurtured dreams of becoming an artist. In 1960, he enrolled in Hongik University's College of Fine Arts but dropped out after just one semester—his reason being the desire to purchase more materials for his work with the money that would have gone to tuition. For the next 20 years, Joo worked in various occupations unrelated to art to make a living. In his twenties, he worked as a piano salesman, an ice cream vendor at Changgyeonggung Palace, and a neighborhood watch volunteer at a police substation. In his thirties, he began working at magazines and publishing houses, assisting the folklorist Shim Wooseong. He passed through Dokseo Saenghwal (Reading Life), Samsung Publishing, Art and Life, the Publishing Culture Research Institute, and Mijinsa. Through this process, he gained firsthand experience of Korean social realities. In addition, he acquired an easygoing yet witty demeanor and a generous capacity to embrace others. Even during his years away from art, Joo never ceased socializing with figures in the cultural and arts community. Their gathering places were mainly teahouses and bars: Hakrim Dabang and Renaissance on Daehangno, and Eunseong and Songseok in Myeongdong. There he encountered university seniors and juniors as well as art critic Lee Il and poet Kim Suyoung. Inspired by these encounters, he held a small solo exhibition at Jjoksaem, a bar run by Kim Inhwan in Gwanghwamun, in the early 1970s. Joo took his first steps into what might be called the art world through the formation of 'Reality and Utterance' in 1979 and his participation in its inaugural exhibition in 1980. His works from this period were deeply connected to the historical and political themes of the time. Mondrian Hotel (1980) and Spring Rain Descending a Staircase (1980), painted during this era, remain celebrated as representative works. After 'Reality and Utterance,' Joo's social life was complex, spanning progressive intellectual, artist, and activist roles. Examples include the difficult establishment of a memorial stone for Jang Junha in 1986 and preparations for the 30th anniversary of the April 19 Revolution in 1990. He devoted considerable affection and time to such civic and public endeavors. In the 1990s, Joo began presenting works that critique capital structures rather than history and politics. By this time, the combative atmosphere of the 1980s democratization movement had largely subsided, and the overall social mood was changing significantly. Abroad, the Berlin Wall had fallen; domestically, President Kim Young-sam had taken power. His 1990s works capture and critique the transformed society from a different perspective than his 1980s pieces. Representative works of this decade include Ode to American Dots, Jjajangmyeon Delivery, and Shopping Man. Since the 2000s, Joo has been more active than ever. He says the sense of liberation young people find in his diverse working methods creates opportunities for him. He presented works at his solo exhibition Behold This Delightful Man at Art Sonje Center (2001), Project Space Sarubia Dabang (2007), and the 50th Venice Biennale Special Exhibition (2003). He received the 10th National Arts Award (2001) and the UNESCO Prize Special Award (2002).
Artist Statement
The artist statement is currently available in Korean.
Key Career Highlights
Related materials
Korean media · Original Korean article
This article text is currently available in Korean. Open the source to read the original version.
Korean media · Original Korean article
This article text is currently available in Korean. Open the source to read the original version.
Korean media · Original Korean article
This article text is currently available in Korean. Open the source to read the original version.
Korean media · Original Korean article
This article text is currently available in Korean. Open the source to read the original version.
Korean media · Original Korean article
This article text is currently available in Korean. Open the source to read the original version.
Magazine
Paint Instead of Tuition: The Life and Art of Joo Jaehwan
In 1960, a young man enrolled at Hongik University's art school and left after one semester. His reason was simple: tuition money could buy more paint. That young man was Joo Jaehwan.
Apr 7, 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
A First-Time Art Buyer’s Price Guide — From ₩300K to ₩10M
“How much should I start with?” The most common question from first-time art buyers. Here is what you can buy, and how to choose, at four price tiers — ₩300K, ₩1M, ₩3M, and ₩10M.
Apr 30, 2026 · Seed Art FestivalOther works by Ju Jaehwan
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Two beginnings made by one piece
- For you —
- One-of-a-kind in the world
- For the artist —
- the pride of standing with a peer
- 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.