Photographer Jonas Tislevoll was born in South Korea and joined an adoptive family in Norway as an infant. Below, he documents his seven-year search for his birth mother through photos and letters. Follow his journey, starting with the first letter he wrote.
See his latest update below.
From the author
Hi, my name is Jonas Yang Tislevoll. I was born in South Korea and then adopted to Norway.
I am a trained photographer and work on long-term personal photo projects that will turn into exhibitions and books. For a period of seven years, I have searched for my biological mother through Children of the World in Norway and Holt in South Korea.
Lately, I have started writing and documenting the journey through photography to create an openness among other adoptees who are in the same situation or will end up there in the future. I will move to Seoul next year to work on the project, at the same time it has been agreed that I will finally meet my biological mother.
I found her through Holt in 2020 but due to COVID-19 the trip has been postponed and postponed.
I hope to meet more adoptees in South Korea, I have already traveled around Norway / South Korea and photographed others who are on the same track, this should not only represent my story but also adoption in itself.
Follow along on Jonas’s journey and see more of his work at http://www.jonastislevoll.no or on Instagram.
