Xiyadie

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Xiyadie (born August 27, 1963) (Zhee-ya-dee; [1] in English: "Siberian Butterfly" [2] ) is a Chinese artist. He is known for his creative redesigning of traditional paper-cutting (jianzhi), which incorporates themes of gay identity, personal struggle, and societal critique. [2]

Contents

Early life and background

Xiyadie was born on August 27, 1963 [1] in a small village in Shaanxi province in northwestern China. [3] Xiyadie grew up in a conservative environment based on traditional values. From an early age, he was aware of his attraction to men, but due to societal pressure he married a woman and had two children. [1] [4]

He began his work as an artist in the 1980s. [5] His art features Chinese paper cutting, which is traditionally designed using celebratory gatherings, which he saw as a means to connect with his ancestry while exploring his identity and discussing queer themes and experiences. [6] [7] [8]

Xiyadie's butterfly theme, represented the transformation and the complexity of identity. [8] His major works include Joy (1999), [7] Xiang (2012), [7] Music (2016), [7] and Train (2022). [8]

Exhibitions and recognition

In 2009, he was included in the Difference-Gender exhibition of LGBTQ Chinese artists. [2] In 2024, Xiyadie held a solo show titled "Queer Cut Utopias" at The Drawing Center in New York City. [1] Xiyadie's art featured in Richard Saltoun Gallery and Blindspot Gallery. [6] His was included in the collection Contemporary Queer Chinese Art: A Buried Voice (2023). [2] [7] [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Harrity, Christopher (17 November 2015). "Artist Spotlight: Xiyadie". The Advocate . Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The bumpy road to acceptance of China's LGBTQ+ artists is explored in a new anthology". The Art Newspaper . 7 November 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  3. ↑ D'Souza, Aruna (21 June 2023). "Hidden in a Mini-Mall in Flushing, a Home for Art". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  4. ↑ "The gay Chinese farmer and his cutting edge art". BBC News . 12 September 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  5. ↑ Zhang, Lisa Yin (5 February 2024). "Xiyadie Carves Out Queer Dreamworlds". Frieze . Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  6. 1 2 "The Drawing Center: Xiyadie: Queer Cut Utopias". The Drawing Center: Xiyadie: Queer Cut Utopias. 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "XIYADIE - Biography | Richard Saltoun". www.richardsaltoun.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  8. 1 2 3 "Xiyadie". Blindspot Gallery. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  9. ↑ "Contemporary Queer Chinese Art: A Buried Voice". artreview.com. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
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