Throughout this project, Pre-existing Conditions explores and installs the somewhat amorphous continuum which embodies the topic of children who are adopted having congenital anomalies. Widely referred to as “Waiting Children” with “Special Needs”, they wait longer for their forever families, their files and photos passed over by prospective adoptive parents in search of the “Perfect” child. But wherein lies “Perfection”? How much can be inferred about who these children are, simply from their physical differences? Choosing to parent a child is a leap of faith. There are no guarantees, nor should any be expected.

I am creating a visual monologue of various physical conditions considered too challenging by some initial prospective adoptive parents. I have constructed these images as triptychs consisting of object/photo and text, to present reiterations of each condition – with which these international adoptees have come home, to the families who saw beyond the visible. These physical challenges often pale in comparison to the social and emotional challenges they may face such as depression, which may result from their separation from birth family and heritage and growing up in a completely different culture. This invisible yet debilitating struggle can strike even a physically apparently “perfect” person. The deepest scars are often on the inside. I hope to build an understanding of the gap, which the circumstances of their adoption can pose, on an adoptee’s outlook on who they are, and how they process their life-long journey of self-discovery.