VER VAN HIER | Artist Talk

ENGLISH BELOW

Theme: COLONIALISM

Introduction by PhD researcher Shila Khuki de Vries (Bangladesh)

International adoptions are an expression of colonialism and systemic racism. Western superiority led to the idea that children from poor countries would be better off in richer countries. 'Saving a child from a poor country', inspired by white saviourism, is an ultimate expression of that.

The interests of Western intended parents were placed above the rights of first parents and children. Adoptees were expected to fully adapt to Western culture (assimilation), their original cultural identity was ignored. FAR FROM HERE decolonizes the 'adoption fairy tale' by giving the voice of adoptees a platform.

During this artist talk you will have the opportunity to talk to the artists of the exhibitions, which are continuously on display in Studio de Bakkerij. This afternoon is in English.

Artists

Bhakti Bienemann (Nepal) - Video art

Mai Marie Choon Dijksma (South Korea) - Site specific installation

kimura byol lemoine (South Korea) - Art retrospective

Lucila Novoa (Colombia) - Graphic prints

Tickets are free but reservations are required. We have a small room, so if you can't come after all, please let us know.

Then we can release your ticket to someone else.

ENGLISH

Theme: COLONIALISM

Introduction by PhD researcher Shila Khuki de Vries (Bangladesh)

International adoptions are an expression of colonialism and systemic racism. The perception of Western superiority led to the belief that children from poor countries would be better off in wealthier nations. The idea of "saving a child from a poor country," driven by white saviorism, is the ultimate expression of this.

The interests of Western prospective parents were placed above the rights of first parents and children. Adoptees were expected to fully assimilate into Western culture, while their original cultural identity was disregarded and erased. FAR FROM HERE decolonizes the "adoption fairy tale" by giving a platform to the voices of adoptees.

During this artist talk, you will have the opportunity to engage with the artists whose work is exhibited at Studio de Bakkerij during VER VAN HIER. This afternoon's event will be in English.

Artists:

Bhakti Bienemann (Nepal) – Video art

Mai Marie Choon Dijksma (South Korea) – Site-specific installation

kimura byol lemoine (South Korea) – Art retrospective

Lucila Novoa (Colombia) – Graphic prints

Tickets are free, but reservations are required. We have a small venue, so if you are unable to attend, please let us know asap. That way, we can provide someone else with a ticket.