This winter, A.D. Herzel’s Lotus Roots (2/25-4/12) exhibition explores the complexities and resiliencies of international adoption. The exhibition presents a selection of works from her series Mirror Silhouettes. The series of floral embellished ink and graphite silhouettes are inspired by the lives of adopted children, now adults, who shared their stories with her—a testament to their struggle and survival. Specifically, those sharing stories are among the more than 200,000 adopted Korean children who were brought to the U.S. and raised in predominantly white families over the past 60 years. Herzel herself is among this number.
"I have such gratitude for the opportunity to share these mirror silhouettes,” Herzel said. “They are a tribute to the resilient, amazing, and beautiful lives of my fellow adopted and imported Korean immigrants. Every line and circle was an act of love that bore witness to their struggles and celebrated their survival. The work is as much a gift to them as it was a gift to me; granting me the permission and courage to explore my own trauma, erasure, and separation from my birth family, language, and culture."
The exhibition is on display February 25 through April 12 in the Buchanan Partners Art Gallery on the second floor of the Hylton Center Didlake Grand Foyer.