Honguju Social Cooperative has responded to the threatened closure of venues around Seoul’s Hongdae by staging concerts in them together. A profile released October 6 by Mapo’s social-economy support center describes the work linking performers, organizers, venue operators and audiences in the area.
A cooperative of artists and audiences
Honguju brings together artists, event organizers, venue operators, producers, audience members and activists. According to the center, the group began meeting in 2013 when Seogyo Art Space faced closure and formed a social cooperative in 2014.
Members keep up their own work while tackling problems in the arts scene that are hard to solve alone.
Solidarity concerts at Gongsangondo
When the café and performance space Gongsangondo ran into rent-related difficulties, Honguju and musicians organized the Gongsaeng Gongsang concerts. The center says ticket proceeds and donations went to the venue.
The cooperative’s 2023 project record names the people who handled planning, operations, publicity and design.
Workshops and a street festival
The A.L.T.O. art school ran small workshops where artists exchanged questions and experience. FESTIVAL THE SUB, launched in 2022, took indie music into the street so passers-by could catch a performance without a ticket.
The profile says the festival pairs music with exhibitions on indie-culture history, talks and participatory programs.
Fifty guitarists
The accompanying photograph shows Amateur Amplifier and 50 Guitarists at THE SUB in 2024, with a line of people holding guitars facing an outdoor stage.
A scene like this depends on a place to play and people willing to build it together. Small-venue programs list organizers and spaces alongside the performers.
