Upcoming Exhibition

Omma Poom Park Grand Opening

13 & 14 June 2025

Omma Poom Park and Garam Art Hall Bongilcheon-ri, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea

In September of 2018, the Omma Poom Park in Paju City was formally dedicated at a ceremony attended by local government officials, Korean adoptees from all over the world, birth families, and supporters of the adoptee community. Since the dedication, the work on the park has continued, with its formal opening set to take place in the summer of 2025.

The date has been set for the grand opening... there will be a two-day celebration organized by Me&Korea, a non-profit organization that provides Korean adoptees opportunities to learn about our roots, on the thirteenth and fourteenth of June. I will be attending this celebration by first traveling to the city I was born in, Seoul, and then to Paju with a fellow KAD, a dear friend who is currently traveling the world solo.

The city of Paju, Korea is located just south of Panmunjeom at the 38th parallel and Demilitarized Zone. Beginning in 2017, Paju began developing a memorial park named Omma Poom, dedicated to the approximately 200,000 children who were sent away to be adopted and raised around the world.

The park’s name, Omma Poom, carries deep significance: "Omma" means "mother" in Korean, and "Poom" evokes the comfort of a mother’s embrace. The park is designed to serve as both a tribute and a space for healing.

For two days, my series Walls Within will be on display in the park during this special event alongside other creations by some of my fellow KADs.

This event is open to adoptees, adoptive and birth families, and the general public.