Adoptee Artists

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

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

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

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

Being Illegally Adopted and a Forced Reunion

Aimee shares about her illegal adoption from Taiwan and being forced into reunion through media involvement and her first mother and adoptive parent wishes.

The Feeling of Not Belonging Anywhere

Michelle shares the complexities as an intercountry adoptee and the ongoing feeling of not belonging and how this underlies her many medical diagnoses.

Identifying with our Genetic Mirrors

Ben shares on the importance of genetic mirrors as an intercountry adoptee and coming to terms with being adopted in our video series to educate about adoption.

A Life has been Lived Before Adoption

Meseret shares about the complexities of being adopted at an older age, having memories of life before adoption, learning how to trust her new adoptive family.

Bolivian Adoptee Anthology Book Review

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

Embracing Therapy as an Adoptee

Oleg shares the journey from being ashamed of needing therapy to fully embracing and recognising the benefits it added to his life as an intercountry adoptee.

Money never makes up for what I’ve lost as a First Nations Canadian

Jen shares complex emotions following the Canadian government compensation to First Nations Canadians forcibly removed from their families and adopted out.

Adoptee Fear and Vulnerability

Oleg shares on the fear and vulnerability so many adoptees live and being brave to open up and trust his adoptive mother to understand and support his journey.

Adoptees at the Hague Special Commission

Lynelle shares the history of adoptee led organisation involvement at the Hague Special Commission meetings and the importance of adoptee voices being included.

The Trauma Inherent in Relinquishment and Adoption

Lynelle's recent Podcast interview with Doc Shauna Springer on the trauma inherent in adoption.

Racism in Intercountry Adoption

ICAV brings you our newest Perspective Paper on Racism, our lived experience as intercountry and transracial adoptees.