Nací and Raised : A Reunion Journey

Four months ago I found my biological family.

To more genuinely share with you my state of mind over these past few months, I began to list the emotions that I have felt so vividly and unyieldingly on a piece of paper.

I was ten weeks old when I met my German-born mother, Maud, and brother (and American father) in a Colombian orphanage in the early 1980's (that's me on the bottom right, my brother on the top right). I was raised by my nomadic family, a wonderful motley crew of ethnicities and backgrounds, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Since my very earliest memories I knew I was adopted, but it was not until last year with the assistance of an adoptee-run non-profit, called Plan Angel, that I began my search for my biological family.

Now at thirty eight years old, I’ve found my Colombian birth mother, Maria, and my two barely older sisters - the two of whom I had no idea existed - and after months of sharing the stories of our lives, giggling and gawking at our similarities - physical and otherwise - and swapping photos, lots of photos, via daily texts and weekly video chats, I am ready to reunite with Maria and meet my sisters this November.

When I returned to the collection of words I had written to sum up these past months, I realized I had covered almost every emotion I knew. This journey is a rediscovery of self, of culture, and of family, both those that raised me and those that have recently re-entered my life. While this is a deeply personal story it touches upon some very universal questions, what is family? How do we define it? Build it? Feel it? 

My trip to Bogota, Colombia would not be complete without the company of Schmoo Theune, my dear friend and fellow artist who specializes in visual narratives about identity & family, to visually document our reunion. It is a complete honor to have her, her sensitivity and immense talent along with me for the ride.

Schmoo and I are raising funds for our journey to Bogota, Colombia, in early November, 2018. 

Will you help us make this happen?
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WHO WE ARE

                                                                                                                                                                        (photos right above by Schmoo Theune)

Kat Geng                             

www.katgeng.com    

I am a visual artist, a sculptor and installation artist, working with found objects. Through humor and play I address themes of intimacy and suffering. My most recent assemblages have taken a turn towards the abstract. I am currently living in Brooklyn, NY but have spent the past six years housesitting in San Francisco where my art studio is based. 

I am a Colombian adoptee raised in Massachusetts and Florida. 
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Below is a photo of my two sisters and birthmother who live in Bogota, Colombia. 

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Schmoo Theune                          

www.schmoo.co  and on instagram @schmoogle @nibsidedown

I am a multi-visual documentary artist who focus on themes of belonging and identity. My earlier photo essays featured ancient cultural practices rooted in time and their contrast with the modern world, but these journeys of cultural exploration caused me to question what shapes one's identity and how this perception is changing in a globalized world. As a child of Asian immigrants, I have always straddled borders and cultures, technology and tradition, and have felt the most connected with others who feel just out of step.

This story of separation, adoption, and reunion pulls together all the themes that speak to me as an immigrant, a daughter, and a modern creative searching for the definition of "home." I hope to document the full spectrum of emotions that result from a discovery of shared bloodlines, and to give visual voice to those lucky few who get such an opportunity in their life. 

My aim with this project is: to highlight the experiences that celebrate family, to tell the story of strong female characters who survive difficult, life-changing decisions, and to open the conversation with others who share family-related experiences tangled in joy and hope.

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Below is a photo from Schmoo's recent series on her family. This is a great example of the sensitivity with which Schmoo captures connections and the subtleties of human connection that makes her photography so special (for more examples check out her website   :)



HOW THE FUNDS WILL BE USED

We’re raising funds for: 

1) Travel from NYC <-> Bogota

2) Safe transportation costs for the duration of the trip

3) Accommodations

*Anything raised beyond our goal will be used to fund a future collaboration between us stemming from this experience in Bogota.  




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TO SHOW OUR GRATITUDE

We would like to offer personal thank you gifts for any donations that we receive at the following points:

$10 - Thank You
A shout-out on our campaign page and our social media for supporting Kat and the power of family.

$25  - Mail from Bogota
Receive a love letter from the road. You'll get a thank-you note with cool stamps and a personalized message from Kat & Schmoo.



$81 (for our first 4 donators) - An Original unframed Kat Geng assemblage (No. 1 in The Compilation Series, 2018. ) See photo below.

Compilation is a series of original and nearly identical material collages, hand created and assembled by artist Kat Geng. All pieces in the series include the same materials (acrylic paint, clothespin, inner tube, shoelace, velcro, netting, embroidery grid on paper and heavy Crane cardstock), favorites of the artist that have found their way into many of Geng's sculptures. 

Each measure 13.5" x 6.75" x 1" and come unframed but with hanging string for quick and easy installation. 


$100  -  Fine Art Photo Print
Choose an 8x12 photographic print from the collection of Bogota street and landscape imagery. Schmoo will work with you on the image selection and your shipping details after our return.  (below is another example of Schmoo's photography).



$750  -  (1 available) Schmoo's Travel Sketchbook
The romance of travel. A totally one-of-a-kind mixed-media sketchbook filled with spontaneous notes, drawings, doodles, ephemera, photo snapshots, and impressions of Bogota. This is personal response to a beautiful city, and this one will be lovingly entrusted to you in gratitude for supporting this mission. 

$950 (1 available)- An original, 2018 one-of-a-kind signed Kat Geng assemblage. Offered at a specially discounted price for this campaign (orig. $1,200).  Untitled, 2018. Acrylic and latex paint and pencil on ice pack, plexi-glas, wire and wood. 




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If you cannot contribute financially, please share and promote this project with your friends on your facebook timeline or elsewhere.  


Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for reading this far and for supporting our journey! 

- Kat and Schmoo