All Under Heaven

How deeply does the state intervene in private life? The exhibition focuses on the tension between family and state in 20th-century China and Korea – between ideology, welfare, and control. It presents photographic works by Chinese artist He Chongyue, which make historical propaganda slogans on the One-Child Policy in rural regions visible, alongside striking perspectives on adoption and gender politics in North and South Korea from the museum’s own collection. A central work is Family by Mao Tongqiang, a photographic series that compellingly illustrates the transformation of Chinese family structures: from collective production units of the past to more mobile, consumption-oriented and often smaller households. Jane Jin Kaisen’s poetic-political video The Woman, The Orphan, and The Tiger addresses transgenerational trauma experienced by Korean women between colonial domination, military violence, and transnational adoption. A related theme is explored by Mirae kate-hers Rhee in a work K-Orphan Style, developed specifically for this exhibition, in which she autoethnographically reflects on her own adoption from South Korea to the United States. Prints by Siren Eun Young Jung question traditional gender roles and open queer perspectives on memory, belonging, and identity.

An exhibition at the Museum für Asiatische Kunst at the Humboldt Forum
Curated by Maria Sobotka, Co-curated by Lu Tian