Paty Berendsen

23 years ago it was different, at the age of 2 years old, I was put up for adoption from Peru to the Netherlands. This impacted my life, which later became part of my art practice. This opens up a lot of questions in connection to my own identity. Through paintings, and charcoal drawings, I express myself in art and try to find my true self. I work in my art with the feeling of displacement, because of my adoption.

The medium of painting is for me always a challenge. I like to give it something extra. To make it more interactive, playful and not that straight forward. To my future self, I hope when you read this 25 years down the line, reflect on the joy you had as a student of Fine Arts and the challenges you had would pale in comparison to all your goals that you envisioned later in life.

When a child is put up for adoption, it’s a life-changing moment. A crucial moment, but there’s never photos of it. Here I start to wonder what those situations could be.

“Pick me up” is a sculptural work where the viewer is invited to play/puzzle with the blocks. In the paintings it’s not clear if there is a parent, or someone related nearby. I hope that there is, but it is not always the case, otherwise adoption cannot exist, right? I am showing what’s already out there. It’s there in the painting on the cubes, but it's just as hard to notice as in real life.