multi-cultural, multi-language project

It has come to my attention that Nathalie Mihee Lemoine/Cho Mihee has uploaded videos of her works and interviews the past few weeks, and I felt you should see the incredible force of this artist and the great impact she’s made for adoptees through her example and with her assistance.

excerpt from biographic article:

…In 1991, she traveled to South Korea for the first time. With French as first language, Lemoine spoke no Korean and little English at the time. Yet, with the help of Korean-speaking friends, she set on by examining adoption records, visiting orphanages and police stations. soon, she discovered a couple of startling facts.
First, she was actually three years younger tha her officially record age. She also found that she was of mixed-race-her mother was Korean and her faher was Japanese.
‘What they say in the [adoption] file its’ a lot of lies,” she says.

Be sure to visit Nathalie’s website to see her latest artworks.

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That title of that one exhibit in the film, I wish for you a beautiful life, is from a book of letters collected by birth mothers of AeRaeWon to their children:  It’s absolutely heartwrenching.  How can this kind of separation be the only solution? Why is adoption the only viable solution???  WHY???

I have been saying to myself and those around me who ask about my failed reunion attempts that it really doesn’t matter, and I really didn’t want reunion anyway.  Part of this is true:  I don’t want the complications or the incredible effort or more heartache.  But I must admit the reunion scene in this video broke me.  Again.  I want to see her face.  I want to get one tentative hug. I want to sob in her arms.  Just once.  And be able to choose to stay or let go.

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Helping adoptees search 1994 – the very first adoptee organization in Korea (this one is all in Korean, so you can only understand through the images)

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Here is part of a documentary on her from 1996 – 45% Korean

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And some of her artwork from 2004

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Thank you, Cho Mihee, for plowing through your pain and paving the way for the rest of us.