Xiyadie: Queer Cut Utopias

The first publication to document and explore the work of Chinese paper-cut artist Xiyadie (b.1963), Queer Cut Utopias features a selection of the artist's astonishingly intricate works dating from the early 1980s through today.

Xiyadie's singular artistic language originated in the traditional folk forms and iconography with narratives from his personal life. Articulating a longing to express his queer desire, Xiyadie embraces the ancient art form while subverting it with defiant yet joyful expressions of individualism. In the artist's words: "This is my stage. Here I can dance with abandon, I can give free rein to my thoughts, I can live out my fantasies. Here, I can fly to the moon, I can become a butterfly, I can love, and I can hate. This is the place where I can be free."