Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

Spring 5-2022

Faculty Advisor(s)

Julie Shafer

Abstract

I am an adopted Asian American with an Italian last name who was raised in the Jewish faith. While I am one of the lucky ones, the One-Child Policy is responsible for how my life turned out. My intention is to confront the inhumanity of this horrific policy with my adoption story. Until policies personally affect someone’s life, many people do not think twice about the other country’s problems and their repercussions on a global level. For my senior exhibition, I created an autobiographical installation to explore my adoption story and how China’s inhumane dictatorship. The full immersive installation will be in the Guggenheim Gallery from April 18-22, 2022. The walls will be covered with yellow, medical waste plastic bags to symbolize the discarded lives of millions of Chinese girls, all abandoned or sometimes killed. Juxtaposing the bags, there will be a large structure in the middle of the room to house a timeline of photographs to create a visual timeline of my life. These photographs include memories from the orphanage, adoption group, my caretaker, and meaningful milestones in my life. Despite China’s goal of curbing their population of over a billion people, the policy stripped women of their rights as they were forced to sterilization and abortion. Baby girls were primarily aborted or put up for adoption since China’s traditional culture has influenced its citizens to value sons over daughters. Unfortunately, this created an age and gender disparity as China’s older generations are shrinking and the younger generation is increasing. This is not only a project about being able to confront my past, but merges the environmental issues through the visual arts to advocate the detrimental effects of overpopulation.

Comments

Presented at the Spring 2022 Student Scholar Symposium at Chapman University.

The main file (available via the blue Download button) is the artist's statement. Photographs of her art installation are available in the ZIP file.

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