This was a special lecture hosted by Lulu Lala Artist Cooperative last Monday. The guest lecturer was artist Shin Hak-chul신학철 known for his honest depiction of marginalized people.

Sharing the concerns and hopes of fellow artists certainly helps lessen the heavy burden of making a living while preserving the integrity of one’s artistic vision. Here’s artist Oh So-young오소영, member of Lulu Lala Artist Cooperative.

I think of myself as a very private artist. But working together with fellow artists with similar ideas also means a lot to me. This group of people has the same concerns and opinions. Such groups are needed in art as well as in other disciplines. When I work by myself, I face certain limits in strength and personal relations, but this sort of gathering helps me overcome those limits.

If these artists had insisted on working alone, they would have missed the opportunity to see the latest artistic trends and interact with other like-minded artists. In this field it is hard to get together with experienced and renowned masters, much less talk to them intimately and get their advice. But these artists found reliable backers and mentors in the fellow members of Lulu Lala Artist Cooperative. Here’s artist Park Song-hee.

I’ve seen Mr. Shin Hak-chul only in books, so it was really great listening to his stories about art and philosophy and his life. Times change and subject matters for paintings change. This lecture was very helpful in that we got a chance to ask questions and hold discussions about those changes. I even got to ask detailed questions about what I should do with my life. Today’s lecture is going to be a great help for me from now on.

In our minds artists are these tortured souls like Van Gogh, utterly alone and shut off from the world. But now artists are banding together to form a cooperative and trying to get closer to the masses.

Lulu Lala Artist Cooperative was founded last March. The co-op was formed to break the art world’s long-standing practice of relying on wealthy patrons for support or promoting only the famous few, and to give opportunities to talented yet little-recognized artists. Here’s sculptor Na Gyu-hwan나규환, also serving as the co-op’s standing director.

The co-op was established back in early March. Artists usually work in their ateliers by themselves. But working alone leaves a thirst for social interaction, the confirmation that their works are not just individual endeavors to be buried and forgotten, but communicated to the greater world. This co-op was formed to satisfy that thirst. In such cases, a corporation is usually formed, but that’s a difficult process. In a cooperative, members pay their dues to become owners and have a say. So a co-op is different from a corporation.

Nine months after its launch Lulu Lala Artist Co-op’s membership grew to 60. Members pay less than 100 U.S. dollars per person and are responsible for planning exhibitions and even distribution and sales. It’s hard for an artist to open even one show a year, but with so many co-op members cheering on, it’s become much easier to hold an exhibition. Here’s political cartoonist Lee Dong-soo.

It takes a lot of work to prepare for an exhibition by myself, but I’ve already held three or four. In fact, one is ready to be opened soon. This was possible thanks to the fellow co-op members who volunteered to help me.

These co-op members feel pressured by other artists’ expectations and sometimes skepticism, but the co-op has already demonstrated the positive results of the alliance through various exhibitions. Here’s sculptor Na Gyu-hwan나규환, also serving as the co-op’s standing director, to explain more.

This is the first artist co-op in Korea, so many people, including other artists, are watching us very closely. Some of them thinking about forming a co-op of their own and asking us for advice. It’s been only eight or nine months since the co-op’s establishment, so we need to publicize more about our group. We talk to people about the co-op when they come to see our exhibition, but they’re still unfamiliar with the idea. It just shows that we have more challenges to overcome.

This is why Lulu Lala Artist Cooperative is holding special talks and publishing an art magazine to give its members some public exposure.

We created an art magazine named RAC. We are the publishers, editors and writers. The magazine aims to introduce our co-op to the public and communicate with them by delivering stories about who we are and what we do. This is how we co-op members connect with other people.

Perhaps the biggest concern most artists have is a financial one. They all dream of a day when they don’t have to worry about money and just immerse themselves in their work. Co-op members hope that joining Lulu Lala Artist Cooperative can help make that dream come true. Here’s sculptor Park Sang-deok박상덕.

The biggest issue is money. I can’t live without working other jobs. The biggest question for me was, “How can I focus on my work without worrying about my financial situation?” But after joining the co-op, I got to show my artwork at an exhibition and even sold some, although not at high prices. Nonetheless, it was special to see my works on display and bought by other people. I want to have more experiences like this.

Café Illust is located in Seongsu-dong in the eastern part of Seoul. It’s a book café set up by the members of a children’s book illustrators’ co-op. The interior is decorated with the drawings and accessories created by these talented artists. People come here to drink coffee and read a collection of illustrated books available in the café. Here’s the co-op’s director, Mr. Kwon Oh-cheol권오철.

Café Illust was opened to give children’s book illustrators a space to get together. The illustrators’ co-op was established back in July, after six months of preparation. During those six months I met with many artists and found out what they needed. This co-op assists the members with their creative activities and protects their rights. There are about 80 members now, but more are ready to join us.

Just like Lulu Lala Artist Cooperative, this co-op of children’s book illustrators was founded to help one another out. Deep inside the café is a studio for illustrators. These artists say that the unsatisfactory publishing conditions compelled them to join hands and set up a co-op. Here’s Mr. Kwon Oh-cheol again.

The poor working conditions for children’s book illustrators have to do with Korea’s low birth rate. As of 2011, there were only 3.5 million children between 0 and 7 years of age. No matter how talented Korea’s children’s book authors and illustrators are, there just aren’t enough children to read books, causing the deterioration of the publishing environment for children’s books. Also, there are so many more libraries in Korea that people simply borrow books for a couple of weeks and be done with it. So, fewer books are being sold than before.

It takes as little as six months to as long as several years to produce a single illustrated book. All that work and so little income to show for it. No wonder most illustrators are having a hard time making a living. The illustrators’ cooperative helps its members publish picture books by egalitarian division of labor and pioneering new sales channels.

This co-op cannot be run only by illustrators. We have divided the work and even have a person who manages the database, an office manager, and an exhibition planning team. We are still publicizing our co-op, but we foresee a bigger co-op in the future.

Café Illust has the members’ books on permanent display and opened the studio for public viewing. All this work has brought some monetary rewards for the members. But the most important project for the café is its special lecture series.

Illustrators ask questions and receive practical advice at the lectures. They all say that they feel like they’re surrounded by friends and quite satisfied with the talks. Here’s illustrator Koh Kwang-sam고광삼.

New illustrators rather than established artists seem to get more help from the co-op. Older illustrators have already been working with publishers for a long time and formed their own personal networks, so they don’t need a co-op as much as beginner or aspiring illustrators. Newcomers need more help publishing their works, so the co-op is there to provide an opportunity for that. As a more experienced illustrator, I hope this co-op plays a part in promoting the works of new illustrators and expanding the market for illustrated books in Korea.

Before these artists’ co-ops were founded, there was a cooperative of indie bands called the Independent Music Production Co-op established in 2011. Here’s its member, Dan Pyeon-seon단편선.

Redevelopment of the Hongdae neighborhood forced out many small music clubs. We were looking for ways to protest the gentrification of the neighborhood and came to hold a weekly concert there. Then, to mark May Day, more than 70 underground bands got together for a concert, which drew as many as 3,000 spectators. It’s not often that an indie band concert draws such a huge crowd, so we decided to do something to repeat it. That’s how an indie musicians group got its start. Now that group has become a co-op.


A joint concert to protest urban development was the start of this indie band cooperative. Launched in May, 2011, the co-op now has about 200 members, comprised of musicians as well as their fans and sponsors. Members pay less than 5 dollars per month, which all goes to make albums or stage concerts. Although the sum may not be much, the co-op loans up to 500 dollars per team for album production. Mr. Dan Pyeon-seon says the members now spend one-tenth the amount they used to spend to produce albums. He says he has already released two albums, which could not have happened without the help from the co-op.

There are now about 50 cooperatives for artists nationwide. These co-ops were founded as a last resort for needy artists, but now the co-ops have become the staunchest supporters and motivators for them. With such success, we are bound to see more co-ops for artists in the future.