[pdf doc in French]
Overseas adopted children returned as artists… ‘Homeland’ themed exhibition
by Kimura Byol Lemoine, 13 April 2023
To mark the 70th anniversary of overseas adoption, international adoptees will visit their home countries and hold an art exhibition at the National Assembly and Insa-dong for a month.
The Arts and Culture Association with Overseas Adoptees (KADU, CEO Park Chan-ho) held the opening ceremony of the ‘KADU Overseas Adopted Artist Exhibition’ at 3:00 pm on the 10th at the special exhibition hall in the 2nd lobby of the National Assembly Members’ Hall.
This exhibition is co-hosted by Rep. Sujin Lee, Minjung Kang, and Seongju Kim from the Democratic Party of Korea, and independent members Hyeongbae Min and Mihyang Yoon, and KADU.
At the opening ceremony, Rep. Soo-jin Lee (Dongjak-eul, Seoul) said, “This year marks the 70th anniversary of overseas adoption. We need to do our best in enactment and budgeting,” he demanded.
Park Chan-ho, CEO of KADU, said, “It is not the fault of the adoptees that they do not know the Korean language or culture.”
In the exhibition, 28 adoptees from 11 countries, including the United States, Germany, Canada, Denmark, France, Sweden, Belgium and Norway, will present 80 paintings, photographs, installation art, and videos on the theme of ‘motherland’. These works contain the pain experienced during the process of overseas adoption and the longing for the hometown. They plan to tell Korean audiences their stories as well.
Until the 15th, it will be held at the special exhibition hall of the National Assembly Members’ Hall, and from the 19th to May 2nd, it will be moved to the Maru Art Center in Insa-dong. A conversation with the artist is also scheduled at 3:00 pm on the 23rd.
In line with the exhibition, a forum will be held on the 21st at 2:00 p.m. at the National Assembly Members’ Hall with the theme of ’70 years of international adoption, rethinking international adoption’. On the 22nd, a traditional exorcism performance with the theme of ‘motherland’ will be held.
Meanwhile, KADU also carries out volunteer activities such as giving Korean names to international adoptees and lighting candles of hope for overseas adoptees. Photographers Park Chan-ho, Park Jong-myeon, Lim Anna, Yoon Jeong-mi, children’s writer Lim Jeong-jin, traditional artist Lee Mi-young, national intangible cultural asset Kim Hye-gyeong, and Jeonnam intangible cultural asset Kim Jeong-hee are active as members.