Category: Adoptee Artists

Crying out your name

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee vulnerability, Birth Parents Searching, Canada, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Haiti, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, UncategorizedLeave a comment

A poignant song by Haitian adoptee, Sabine, in Quebec exploring separation, identity, two families, and enduring love between mother and child across distance.

Self Reflections

On By Guest BloggerIn Abandonment and Rejection, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee vulnerability, Art therapy, colourblindness in adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, denial gaslighting minimisation by others, Difficult discussions in adoption, Forced separation, Generational trauma, Gratitude in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Poetry by Adoptees, Racial Mirrors, Russia, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, USALeave a comment

Hannah reflects as a Russian Asian intercountry adoptee on identity, belonging, loss, and the emotional complexities of adoption.

What happens after an adoption investigation?

On By Guest BloggerIn Abandonment and Rejection, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoption Book, adoption reform, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, denial gaslighting minimisation by others, Difficult discussions in adoption, Grief and Loss, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, intercountry adoption investigation, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Reparation in Adoption, South Korea, Suicide, Survival mechanisms, Sweden, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, Truth and Reconciliation Commission TRC, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?Leave a comment

Lisa shares about the challenges and realities adoptees face after national adoption inquiries and public debates becoming toxic.

Black Lotus

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoption Attachment, Alternate therapies in adoption, Art therapy, Complexities in Adoption, Difficult discussions in adoption, Generational trauma, Germany, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Sense of BelongingLeave a comment

Jonas Haid shares his artwork Black Lotus created and inspired by his own story of adoption from Sth Korea to Germany.

Romania from the lens of a returning adoptee

On By lynellelongIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Belgium, Complexities in Adoption, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Return to Birth Country, Romania, Sense of BelongingLeave a comment

Céline Lăcrămioara, born in Romania and adopted to Belgium, returns as a professional photographer, capturing her birth country and people in these portfolios.

Monologue performances showcasing the complex lived experience of adoption

On By lynellelongIn Adjustment and Transition, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Professionals, Colombia, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Racial Mirrors, Sense of Belonging, The Netherlands, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Performances by José Montoya: one on Grief the other a biographic portrayal of his life, adopted from Colombia to the Netherlands and the complexities within.

Our separation bears down on both of us

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Birth Parents Searching, Complexities in Adoption, Forced separation, Grief and Loss, Impacts to Biological Families, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, South Korea, Transracial Adoption, USALeave a comment

Jillian shares her artwork expressing the shared grief and loss of the many years of separation between her South Korean mother and herself before reunion.

Afrocentric

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptees Educate, Australia, Complexities in Adoption, Haiti, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Racial Mirrors, Return to Birth Country, Sense of Belonging, Transracial AdoptionLeave a comment

Ebony Hickey, a Haitian Australian intercountry adoptee performed in Afrocentric at the Victorian Gallery of Victoria. We share her voice performance and photos

Adoptee Artists

On By lynellelongIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Adoptive Country, Birth Country, Diversity in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Art is an incredibly powerful tool to convey the complexities of lived experience in adoption. Here is a compilation of the artwork presented at ICAV.

Meg at K-Box Adoptee Takeover Night

On By lynellelongIn Adoptee Activism, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptees Educate, Australia, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Diversity in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Meg O'Shea presents her comic about returning and searching in Korea at our 9 Sept 2022 K-Box Adoptee Takeover Night in Melbourne, Australia.

Ebony at K-Box Adoptee Takeover Night

On By lynellelongIn Adoptee Activism, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Complexities in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Haiti, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Ebony Hickey is a Haitian born intercountry adoptee to Australia whose contemporary artwork we included at the K-Box Adoptee Take Over Night.

Ryan at K-Box Adoptee Takeover Night

On By lynellelongIn Adoptee Activism, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, South Korea, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

K-Box Take Over Night at the Malthouse Theatre, 9 Sept 2022 highlighting adoptee artist Ryan Gustafsson, Korean adoptee and academic.

Adoptee Review of Ra Chapman’s K-Box Play

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Complexities in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, South Korea, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

by Kayla Curtis, Korean adoptee raised in Australia, social worker and counsellor specialising in adoption. I want to share some reflections from going along to the K-Box Adoptee Takeover Night at the Malthouse and seeing Ra Chapman's K-Box play in Melbourne, Australia on 9 September. Personally, I am feeling an excitement from seeing K-Box because …

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Bolivian Adoptee Anthology Book Review

On By lynellelongIn Abandonment and Rejection, Abuse in Adoption, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Book, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, DNA Searching, France, Gratitude in Adoption, Importance of Connections to Origins, Italy, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Norway, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Racial Mirrors, Racism in Adoption, Return to Birth Country, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, USALeave a comment

Lynelle provides a review of the Bolivian adoptee anthology Communal Histories of Displacement and Adoption by the Network of Bolivian Adoptees

Gabby Malpas on Racism

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, China, colourblindness in adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, New Zealand, Politics of Adoption, Racial Mirrors, Racism in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Suicide, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Gabby shares with adoptive parents about racism as part of ICAVs submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission's National Anti-Racism Framework consult.

Participating in The Colour of Difference: Long Term Outcomes

On By lynellelongIn Abandonment and Rejection, Abuse in Adoption, Adjustment and Transition, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Birthdays, Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Attachment, Adoption Book, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Birth Country, Complexities in Adoption, Diversity in Adoption, Eating Disorder and Adoption, Gratitude in Adoption, Grief and Loss, ICAV Beginnings, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Older Age Adoptions, Origins Search, Racial Mirrors, Racism in Adoption, Return to Birth Country, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Suicide, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Lynelle shares how participating in PARCs book project to produce The Colour of Difference changed her life and began the adoptee network InterCountry Adoptee Voices.

Toxicity and Grief

On By Guest BloggerIn Abandonment and Rejection, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Complexities in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Origins Search, Philippines, Racial Mirrors, Sense of Belonging, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, USALeave a comment

by Dan R Moen, adopted from the Philippines to the USA. Part three of this series focuses on toxicity and its impact with grief. The black vine-like shapes represent toxicity and how it manifests itself within and around all of us. It’s depicted as an uncontrollable beast and has completely engulfed an individual. It grows …

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