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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
94 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.
So Annoying...
Ju Jaehwan
Authenticity
Limited edition 6/20
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).
About this work
〈So Annoying...〉 is a Printmaking work by Ju Jaehwan. Created in 2021 on Mixed media on paper, measuring 80x62cm, from an edition of 6/20. Available as an original Korean contemporary artwork at SAF Online.
Key Career Highlights
1940 Born in Seoul 1960 Attended Hongik University College of Fine Arts, Department of Western Painting (withdrew after one semester) Solo Exhibitions 2016 Joo Jaehwan: Metamorphosis in the Dark, Hakgojae, Seoul 2015 Chimi Mangryang (Ghosts and Goblins), Trunk Gallery, Seoul 2013 The Odd Show - Janggo Joo Jaehwan, Alternative Art Space Ipo, Seoul 2012 Gwanhun Gallery, Seoul 2011 Vertigo, Trunk Gallery, Seoul 2009 Gallery Soso, Paju 2007 CCTV in Operation, Project Space Sarubia Dabang, Seoul 2002 Behold This Pleasant Fellow, Sejong Gallery, Jeju 2001 Yesul Madang Sol, Daegu 2000-01 Joo Jaehwan: Behold This Pleasant Fellow, Art Sonje Center, Seoul Selected Group Exhibitions 2018 4·3 70th Anniversary East Asian Peace & Human Rights Exhibition: From Silence to Outcry, 4·3 Peace Memorial Hall, Jeju 2017 Unity of Literature and Painting, Gyeongju Solgeo Museum of Art, Gyeongju 2017 Grass Stands, Art Space Pool, Seoul Song Against Oblivion, Seoul Museum of Art Namseoul Branch, Seoul 2016 Title Match: Joo Jaehwan vs Kim Donggyu, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul 2015 Three Star Show, Indipress, Seoul 4.16 Sewol Ferry 1st Anniversary Memorial: Resisting Oblivion, Ansan Culture & Arts Center, Ansan 22nd 4·3 Art Festival: Transparent Tears of Ice, Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju Asia and Rice, Jeonbuk Art Center, Jeonju Liberation 70th Anniversary: The Great Flow - Noisy, Hot, Overflowing, MMCA Seoul Fortune-Telling House, Zaha Museum, Seoul Jungle Shoes, Kim Kim Gallery, La Suisse/Nantes, France Grass Stands, Art Space Pool, Seoul 2014-15 Content-Certified Mail: Prove Your Life, Alternative Art Space Ipo, Seoul 2014 SeMA Biennale, Mediacity Seoul 2014: Ghosts, Spies, Grandmothers, Seoul Museum of Art; Korean Film Archive, Seoul Old Commands and New Performances, Philosophy Academy, Seoul Once Is Not Enough, Sigak, Seoul Indonesia-Korea Artists Exhibition: Low Stream, Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art, Jeju 2013 Expanding Two Islands, National Gallery of Indonesia, Jakarta; Tony Raka Art Gallery, Bali, Indonesia Night Shadow, Shamanism Museum, Seoul Residency Now, Songwon Art Center, Seoul Heyri Slow Art: Running World, Walking Art, Resting Village, Nonbat Art School, Paju 2012 20+ Meeting Art, Goyang City 20th Anniversary 20 Artists Invitational, Aram Museum of Art, Goyang Humble Art, Complex Cultural Space Emu, Seoul Gyeonggi Creation Center Residency, Gyeonggi Creation Center, Ansan 2011 Poetry and Painting as One, Gana Art Center, Seoul 23rd Motherland's Mountains, Sejong Center Gwanghwarang, Seoul Dépaysement: City Unfolding, Arko Art Center, Seoul 2010 Reality and Utterance 30 Years: Social Reality and Artistic Reality, Insa Art Center, Seoul In Between, One and J Gallery, Seoul Power of Gyeonggi-do, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ansan Beyond the Yellow Line, Kyunghyang Gallery, Seoul Language Play, Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul The Trickster Makes This World, Nam June Paik Art Center, Yongin 2009 Seoul History Museum Special Exhibition: Gwanghwamun Ballad, Seoul History Museum, Seoul Blue Dot Asia 2009, Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul Daehak-ro 100, Arko Art Center, Seoul 2008 Poet Kim Suyoung 40th Memorial: Conversion Period, Art Space Pool, Seoul Ko Wooyoung Manga: Never Ending Story, Arko Art Center, Seoul Pop Art Toon: Opening the Time Capsule, Korea Manhwa Museum, Bucheon Where the World Sat, Kookmin Art Gallery, Seoul Working Magazine Works, Ga Gallery, Seoul 2007-08 Pulse of the People - Realism in Korean Art 1945-2005, Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum; Fukuoka Asian Art Museum; Fuchu Art Museum, Tokyo; Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya; Miyakonojo Art Museum, Miyazaki, Japan 2007 100 Years of Korean Modern Poetry: 500 Poets & 500 Artists, Sejong Center, Seoul Son Jangseop & Joo Jaehwan, Gallery Noon Changdeokgung, Seoul Wham - Gallery Noon Changdeokgung Opening, Gallery Noon Changdeokgung, Seoul Imagination Recharge: Six Imaginations Telling Contemporary Art, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ansan 2006 Drawing Well, Drawn to Drawing - SoMA Drawing Center Opening, SoMA, Seoul 9th West Sea Art Festival, National Education Field Exhibition, Incheon Culture & Arts Center, Incheon Somewhere in Time, Art Sonje Center, Seoul Memory of Books, Heyri Book House Gallery, Paju 2005 Liberation 60th Anniversary: Trial and Advance, National Assembly Central Plaza, Seoul The Battle of Visions, Kunsthalle Darmstadt, Germany Discordance: Korean Contemporary Art, Richard F. Brush Art Gallery, St. Lawrence University, Canton, USA 2004 Peace Declaration 2004: 100 World Artists, MMCA Gwacheon Alchemy of Everyday, MMCA Gwacheon You Are My Sunshine: Korean Contemporary Art 1960-2004, Total Museum of Art, Seoul 2003 50th Venice Biennale Arsenale, Z.O.U. - Zone of Urgency, Venice, Italy Comics in Art, Art in Comics, Ewha Womans University Museum, Seoul Mothersland: Anti-War/Peace, Gwanhun Gallery; Art Space Pool, Seoul Welcome to Seoul: Seoul National Art Association 2003, Gwanghwamun Gallery, Sejong Center, Seoul You, Where Do You Live? - 1st New Town, MBC Janghang-dong Broadcasting Site, Goyang 2002 4th Gwangju Biennale: P_A_U_S_E, Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, Gwangju 2001 Wind Wind Wind: 13th Motherland's Mountains, Sejong Art Museum Annex, Sejong Center, Seoul Next Generation, Asian Contemporary Art, Passage de Retz, Paris 2000 Busan International Art Festival: Leaving Godot, Busan Museum of Art, Busan Joo Jaehwan & Ko Seungwook's Public Video, Art Space Pool, Seoul 1999 Korea+JAALA: Northeast Asian and Third World Art, Seoul Museum of Art 600th Anniversary Hall, Seoul 1998 98 City and Video: Clothing, Food, Shelter, Seoul Museum of Art 600th Anniversary Hall, Seoul 1996 Reading Korean Masterpiece Poems Through Paintings, Hakgojae, Seoul 1995 50 Years of Liberation: Historical Art, Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul 1994 Donghak Peasant Revolution Centennial: Saeyasaeya Parangsaeya, Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul 1988 Milan Triennale, Wood Carving & Dancheong 'Suseon Jeondo', Seoul Pavilion, Milan 1987 Anti-Torture, Geurim Madang Min, Seoul 1980-88 Reality and Utterance Group, Dongsanbang Gallery, Seoul, and numerous projects Awards 2002 UNESCO Prize Special Award, 2002 Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju 2001 10th National Artists Award, Korean National Artists Association Publications 2001 Behold This Pleasant Fellow 1980-2000 Art Culture Collections MMCA, Gwacheon Art Bank, Gwacheon Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul Nam June Paik Art Center, Yongin
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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.
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Two beginnings made by one piece
- For you —
- One of only 20 limited editions
- 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.