The building, once surrounded by a high brick fence, housed a boarding school, and today houses an exhibition space "House of stories"Artūras Morozovs' photography exhibition-manifesto "Then, when I saw you" opened.
The initiators of the exhibition are the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service and the network of foster care centers "Children are Children". The opening evening was attended by foster families, whose everyday life was reflected in the photographs of the exhibition's author, Artūras Morozovas.
“Art has always allowed us to look sensitively at issues important to society. The exhibition “Then I Saw You” also invites us to look into the world of children in foster care and the families that have adopted them. These are not just photographs – these are real stories, emotions, memories and life lessons, which are revealed with great sensitivity and respect. These photographs remind us of how important it is to provide love, care and security to those who need it most. This is an invitation to pay attention to these children and consider how we could be part of their journey to a better future. Already today we have great families, thanks to which children who have lost their parental care can grow up in a warm family environment. We hope that with the support provided and the help of foster care centers, we will be able to have more and more such families,” says Kristina Stepanova, Head of the Family and Child Rights Protection Group of the Ministry of Social Security and Labor.
According to Ilma Skuodienė, Director of the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service, the photography exhibition "Then I Saw You" is not only a beautiful artistic initiative, but also a very important invitation for each of us to think about the everyday life, well-being of children who have lost parental care, and their opportunities for a brighter future.
"Although at the end of last year we managed to implement one of the most significant achievements in the care system – to close the doors of the last foster homes – still, more important tasks await us on this path of change. Currently, over 1000 children, most of whom are over ten years old, live in family homes and hopefully believe that one day they will have the opportunity to find people who would become their guardians and invite them into their homes and hearts. Therefore, this exhibition not only reminds us of the important right of every child to grow up in a safe and loving environment, but also invites the public to internalize the idea of the mission of child care and encourages us to take it on," says I. Skuodienė.
"Art and the depth of the soul are inseparable. I am glad that we are talking about child care with the public in the form of art - through real, sensitive, unpolished moments captured by the artist and photographer A. Morozov," said Rugilė Ladauskienė, head of the network "Children are Children", which unites the country's child care centers, during the opening of the exhibition.
In recent years, photographer A. Morozov, who has often directed his camera at parents and children and their relationship, says that photographs that show unvarnished, real people, their relationships, everyday life, and homes, touch the hearts of viewers. Such moments in photography also proved important to the "Children Are Children" project team that initiated the project.
"I went to Šilalė, to Sigitas and Soares. This is a Lithuanian and Brazilian family raising two boys. One biological, the other - who has been in foster care for several years. I went in timidly because I didn't know how to start the conversation, whether it was possible to ask everything openly. At first, I didn't even understand which child was in foster care. In the house, as, by the way, in other families I visited, such ordinary actions prevailed, communication, cooking. All that remained was to observe and occasionally press the camera button. I went outside, began to observe the life of the house through the window. The family, it seems, returned to its inner core, began to communicate with each other. This is how the photo turned out - as if looking at the natural, beautiful process of the house, not clouded by an outsider," - A. Morozovas tells about his experience photographing foster families.
At the end of last year, 3289 guardians, 241 on-call guardians, and 56 families were caring for children who had lost parental care in Lithuania.
"Guardianship is not a curse, every person who loves children can become a guardian, you just need to think carefully, make up your mind and call the nearest guardianship center," says one of the guardians, Greta Janavičienė from Klaipėda. Her family's moments are captured in photos.
“It is important to understand that you really love children, want to be with them, to overcome your beliefs and attitudes and take the first step – to sign up for training. And even if after them you decide that it is not for you, you will have learned more about children, care and life,” says foster carer Edita Deltuvė from Kaunas. She and her husband Aidas foster seven children.
Olgita and Robertas Kanapinska, who are fostering a teenage girl from Vilnius, are absolutely certain: if you want to foster a child, you must be emotionally literate, and all other nuances must be resolved. “I would strongly encourage and encourage you to take up foster care, but only if you understand that you can sacrifice your principles for the sake of the child. Because guardians are not suitable for people with principles who look at the world only from their own point of view. Children are our mirror, they show us our wounds, and it can be very difficult if you don’t know where to find a plaster to stick on those wounds,” says O. Kanapinska.
Eleven-year-old Aleksandra wrote to A. Morozov, who photographed their family: "I feel loved, safe and happy." Her guardian, whom Aleksandra calls mother, Aušra Puzinienė, is convinced that there are no Your or My children: "I know that there are many who want to take care of children, but they lack determination. I can say that for love there is no difference whether you yourself or another woman gave birth to a child."
Although there are more and more people willing to become foster parents, finding them remains a big challenge. Photographer A. Morozov's exhibition "Then When I Saw You" is not only a wonderful story about the everyday life of foster families, but also a careful call to think about what each of us could give to all of our children.
R. Ladauskienė, the director of "Children Are Children", believes that the exhibition of photographs that capture the everyday lives of families will contribute to changing attitudes towards foster families, stir souls, and provoke internal dialogues.
“Although our country has closed its doors to orphanages, and more than 6000 children who have lost parental care live with temporary and permanent guardians, more than 1000 children live in family homes, raised by workers. Every day in Lithuania, at least 6 children need on-call guardians or permanent guardians. I feel special gratitude that I can participate in a conversation with the public about child care through art. The exhibition is a continuation of the social campaign “My eyes need your eyes”, – says R. Ladauskienė.
Artūras Morozovs' photography exhibition-manifesto "Then I Saw You" - from February 6 to March 6 at the "House of History" in Vilnius, T. Kosciuškos g. 3. From March 7, the photography exhibition will be exhibited at the Kaunas Ąžuolynas Public Library.
