What can bring about real change? As stagnant water cannot flow into the sea, a stagnant community cannot develop. The same is true of the arts. A new form of art can be created through the exchange of thoughts and ideas between artists from various fields. ZeroTax, in Gwangju, is an organization that aspires to serve as a bridge between artists from Gwangju and those from other cities, aiming to build a nationwide community of artists. The Tribune met Park Joo-young, a representative of ZeroTax, and listened to the story of his culturally and artistically rich life.

Becoming a Community Builder for Artists
Having started as a vocalist, Park is currently working as a multi-instrumentalist who can sing and arrange as well as play the piano, guitar, and drums. What led him from being a solo artist to where he is today? "I believe that everyone who works hard should be given opportunities. But I barely had a chance to take the stage because there was an atmosphere in which only established artists or those handpicked by studios artists were able to perform. It had been this way for a long time. ZeroTax began with three bands, including the one I was playing with, aiming to design the performances that worked best for us.”

ZeroTax is an artistic and cultural organization supporting young artists. It is dedicated to facilitating the activities of artists in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, acting on their behalf without the profit-seeking self-interest of other agencies. ZeroTax also plans and directs musical performances and art exhibitions. Park explained, “ZeroTax is a compound of ’Zero’ and ’Tax’." It refers to the aspiration that artists will completely convey their emotions and feelings without losing anything. such as agency profits being deducted from their performance receipts, which we view as a kind of tax. I have broadened this concept to the cultural field to create an environment where many artists can succeed together.”

Creating an Enabling Environment for Artists
ZeroTax frequently recruits new artists, and operates without membership fees. Most of its crew members have jobs to sustain their livelihoods, so their passion is what sustains their long-term participation in cultural and artistic activities. According to Park, local artists who find it difficult to survive often end up giving up on their dreams. "The biggest difference with artists in Seoul is the mindset gap produced by differing cultural environments. In Seoul, for example, there are a lot of open mics at venues such as cafes, live events where artists can regularly perform on stage every week. However, open mic culture has not taken root in Gwangju, and similar attempts have failed here.”"In the case of Gwangju, there are a few cafes with live performances, but these feature pre-scheduled performances rather than open mics. There is no room for performers to spontaneously show off their music. I think this difference between the two regions makes a big difference in the minds of artists." ZeroTax's ambition is to cultivate artists who can make the best use of the Jeolla region’s artistic infrastructure, thereby developing and promoting coexistence with the local culture. Park hopes that his efforts to discover new artists and connect local culture with those of other regions will provide a breath of fresh air to Jeolla-do's artistic environment.

Having a Vision for ZeroTax Moving Forward
ZeroTax has more than 50 artists largely divided into two categories: Music and visual arts. Musicians come from various genres, ranging from Korean traditional fusion, jazz, and pop, to indie. Some artists take pictures, do tufting, or illustrate. ZeroTax gives its artists information on governmental projects and other community events related to their activities. The artists can get legal advice if needed. In addition, they can learn how to write formal applications to apply for administrative programs. Most importantly, they can communicate with other artists within the community, helping and relying upon each other.

For the next two to three years, the organization will thoroughly build networks with Seoul artists by sharing performing venues with them. It has a new plan to arrange a concert tour with local artists in cities such as Seoul, Daejeon, and Gwangju. Furthermore, ZeroTax will create an environment where exhibitions and the field of arts can be well established in Gwangju. The exhibition will be launched under the name of ZeroTax in the second half of 2024.

Vocalist to Support Local Artists
There will be some prospective artists who hesitate to start life as an artist. Here is Park's encouraging message for them: "If people want to be artists, they have to break through fear and develop their abilities. They need to show themselves off to the world through their work, with confidence and courage. The trembling, small first step will accelerate the subsequent steps.” He also advised new ambitious artists and entrepreneurs in the field of cultural business that developing new ideas is the most important thing. He would like to establish a virtuous cycle, in which creative attempts light a spark of competition in the field, which in turn increases the quality of arts and fosters artists' capabilities in the local region and beyond.

While studying for a doctorate degree in the Department of Cultural Studies at Chonnam National University Graduate School, Park has continued an in-depth exploration of vocals, music, and culture. At the same time, he is engaged in various activities to grow as an artist with the musical ethos of "freedom over responsibility". In 2021, he released his first album entitled ”Yangnim-dong, That Road” with the motif of local resources. Subsequently, he released a digital single album entitled ”I’m in Love with You” in April, 2023. He shared his wish for people to have an interest in small-scale cultural and artistic content by local artists and try to get a habit of embracing new cultures and arts.

By Gim Ye-rin, Reporter