Price
₩1,500,000
Limited edition of 1 — 1 left
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.
두상연구 - cross
Kim Jonghwan
About the Artist
Kim Jonghwan majored in printmaking at university and currently runs 'Panhwabang,' a printmaking studio. He is an active member of the Korean Contemporary Printmakers Association and the Hongik Printmakers Association. His illustrated books include Half-and-Half, Dokkaebi Wrestling Festival, Hong Gildong, Han Feizi, The +-x÷ Magic Show, Dreams of Joseon Captured in Hanyang, and The Golden Dragon and the Rainbow, and he has also created illustrations for various monthly magazines.
About this work
〈두상연구 - cross〉 is by Kim Jonghwan. Created in 2018 on 석판화, measuring 70×50cm, from an edition of 1/10. Available as an original Korean contemporary artwork at SAF Online.
Key Career Highlights
Related materials
Google Books · 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
Korean Contemporary Printmaking — Five Lineages at SAF
Contemporary Korean printmaking, read through five artists at SAF 2026 — from Lee Cheolsu's woodblock Zen to Kim Jonghwan's broken-printer sculptures.
Apr 20, 2026 · Seed Art Festival
From a Broken Printer to a Head Being Born: Kim Jonghwan's Print Room
Kim Jonghwan makes heads from broken printer parts — motors, gears, leftover pens. A printmaker running *Panhwabang*; picture books, etching, lithography.
Apr 20, 2026 · Seed Art Festival
Price
₩1,500,000
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.