In 1994, six Belgian families traveled to China to adopt children from an orphanage in Hunan province. Among the adopted children was the artist Youqine Lefèvre.
It is from the memories of this journey that "The land of promises", an installation exhibited at the 22nd Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial, is born. Spanning the personal and political, intimate and public spheres, the work navigates the nuances of China's birth control policy, implemented between 1979 and 2015, and in particular the constitutional one-child law. Based on the testimonies of the artist's adoptive father and the other fathers and mothers who traveled with him, using official documents, photographs and videos of the group's travels and her own trips to Hunan province, the artist invites us to immerse ourselves in an investigation into the notions of country, home and belonging.
- More about Youqine Lefèvre in Collection