Born in Seoul in December 1986, Henrik Uldalen was adopted by a Norwegian couple when he was just some months previous. He grew up in Asker, a small city exterior Oslo, with what he describes as a “loving household” of fogeys and two siblings in addition to mates.
A quiet little one, he discovered refuge in drawing and as soon as imagined changing into an artwork trainer. As a substitute, he grew to become an artist and settled in London a few decade in the past.
For many of his life, he targeted on mixing into the communities round him.
“I spent nearly all of my life up till final yr actively avoiding conversations about adoption,” he recalled in an interview with The Korea Instances on Nov. 12. “I shut down any try from my dad and mom to speak about Korea and study extra about my life there.”
Uldalen simply “wished to be a ‘regular’ Norwegian.”
“However over time, it grew to become clear that many issues in my life instantly correlated with refusing my true self — a scarcity of belonging wherever, rootlessness, and organic and bodily variations from Norwegians and most Westerners.”
That modified final yr, when Whitestone Gallery Seoul invited him to carry a solo exhibition. That exhibition, “Misplaced/Discovered,” was held this yr from Aug. 30 to Oct. 19 and featured round 30 works.
Id points at heart of his works
“The exhibition was a uncooked and sincere account of feelings round betrayal, abandonment and identification, but in addition acceptance and love. With the intention to discover myself and actually let go, I wanted to color primatively, virtually like a toddler,” Uldalen mentioned.
The work on show in “Misplaced/Discovered” mixed portraits and summary varieties. One motif dominated: distorted faces.
In line with the artist, the distorted faces mirror his personal sense of being misplaced and seems in his earlier works of human figures. They’re created by burning components of the canvas or making use of chemical compounds and wiping them away.
“A big portion of my work over the previous 15 years has revolved round existentialism, identification and alter,” he mentioned. “It’s taken years of self-discovery to grasp myself and my artwork. Solely lately have I spotted that a lot of what I talked about in my earlier works is instantly associated to adoption, for higher and worse.”
Artist Henrik Uldalen stands in entrance of certainly one of his work at Whitestone Gallery Seoul. Courtesy of Whitestone Gallery Seoul
Park Ji-young, director of Whitestone Gallery Seoul, famous that Uldalen’s private background was what first caught her consideration.
“Annually, we attempt to introduce European artists who aren’t well-known in Korea,” Park mentioned. “After we had been choosing artists to succeed in out to, his private story made him stand out.”
She mentioned that guests unfamiliar with Uldalen’s background discovered the work “sturdy and scary” at first look, however as soon as they realized his story, their understanding of the works deepened noticeably.
Uldalen works primarily in oil — the medium that impressed him to pursue artwork professionally.
“I at all times wished to be an artwork trainer, however at 19, I found oil portray and that was it. I knew this was what I wished to do for all times,” he mentioned.
Even so, he doesn’t need to be restricted by the medium. Just lately, he started exploring videography and cinematography as new avenues for expression.
Homecoming to Korea
Uldalen’s exhibition introduced him again to Korea for the primary time in virtually 25 years. The final time he was in Seoul was at age 16.
“Again then, I got here with my Norwegian dad and mom, however I had no curiosity. I used to be only a vacationer,” he mentioned, including that his dad and mom had been joyful and supportive of his choice to reconnect with Korea by way of his solo present.
“After accepting the gallery’s supply, I went to Norway and we spoke about it. Each of them cried — it was the primary time I’d seen my dad cry — however out of happiness. They’ve wished me to discover this a part of my life for a very long time. They instructed me, ‘Don’t fear, Henrik. Go on this journey and discover.’ It was a very fantastic and touching second.”
Arriving in Korea, Uldalen didn’t know what to anticipate.
“I didn’t count on the openness and willingness to maintain the dialogue going from Koreans who visited the present,” he mentioned.
“On the gallery, I used to be referred to as ‘brother’ and ‘son’ a number of occasions. I had lengthy conversations and even cried with guests. It was eye-opening and I now really feel a robust urge to proceed studying about Korea — the tradition and its individuals.”
In his spare time, Uldalen and his spouse wandered by way of slim alleys, subways and conventional markets in Seoul, and felt what he referred to as “a superb vibe.” The couple plans to return subsequent yr.
Earlier than and after the present, many Korean adoptees contacted him.
“It’s been a wild journey listening to all these tales — some horrendous, some fantastic,” he mentioned. “I had a beautiful upbringing, and plenty of others did too, whereas some had probably the most horrible experiences.”
Studying extra in regards to the Korean authorities’s function in perpetuating systematic fraud in abroad adoptions unsettled him. But, one factor is obvious: “The doorways you keep away from probably the most are precisely those it is best to open.”
