In The Times of a Butterfly By Zamná Ávila, Assistant Editor
May 18 - 31, 2012
Serving the Seven Cities of the Harbor Area
Chinese master paper cutter, Xiyadie (pronounced Zhee-yá-dee), has been exhibiting his work, The Metamorphosis of a Butterfly: A kaleidoscopic vision of life by a gay Chinese artist at Flazh! Alley Art Studio in San Pedro, in conjunction with The Center Long Beach. Consisting of more than 50 works, Butterfly celebrates the artist’s family and same-sex life, transcending discrimination and social stigma in China. His work will remain on display through July 14. To the naked eye, Xiyadie simply marries the traditional Chinese art of paper cutting with same-sex erotica. But hidden in the intricate patterns of the cutouts is his story detailing his struggles as a gay, married father of a son with cerebral palsy. “(My art is about) living and feeling,” Xiyadie said through his interpreter, Alan Quach. “My feeling with my living is different because I have a lot of pain and suffering in my past, so that is why I have stronger feeling to express my art.” In Chinese, Xiyadie means Siberian butterfly. He chose that pseudonym to disguise his identity. It alludes to the freezing winds that blow from Siberia. His collections detailing aspects of his personal story made from red paper cutouts illustrate his love for his family, his challenges and his dreams for them. “Joy 14,” an intricately cut example of the family series depicts the interaction between the artist’s mother and son, both of whom are ill. His son, who only can move his foot, massages his grandmother’s legs to relieve her pain. In “Letter,” Xiyadie displays how his son’s
4
sister reads a letter from their mother and love of the mother pours through the paper, and moves the dog and bird. Paper cutting originated in Eastern Han Dynasty of China between 25 and 220 A.D., which has been passed down from generation to generation. Xiyadie grew up poor in the Shen xi Province of China and his family were farmers skilled in the art of paper cutting--skill handed down though several generations in his family. At 16 years old he followed in their footsteps, albeit with a spin of his own. In the beginning, it was just something he did for fun. It wasn’t until after he was married, at the age of 26, that he began to recognize his homosexuality. He had same-sex encounters in his teenage years, but he hadn’t associated them with being gay. As with other gay men of his culture, his traditional upbringing dictated that he would marry and have children. It wasn’t until he moved to Beijing that he fully began to accept his sexuality. “Before I came to Beijing I had a lot pain,” he said. “I tried to change myself to not be a gay person, but I couldn’t. In my mind, gay life is beautiful, so I cannot put it [out of] my mind.” Xiyadie depicts this struggle in many of his art pieces, such as “The Door” series, which deploys color cut-outs depicting nature and red doors to convey the narrative of his male-onmale desire and the beauty and pain of his coming out process. Other works go deeper into his family life, dreams and pain. “Joy 18,” a red-paper cutout, explains his and
Artist Xiyadie stands next to his paper cutout, “Joy 14,” one of several pieces about family and sexuality. His work is on display through July 14 at Flazh!Art Studio in San Pedro. Photo: Anthony Castro, The Center Long Beach.
his wife’s decision to stay together for the sake of keeping the family together. The cutout depicts Xiyadie lost in a war with his wife ready to leave, but not before encountering his son, who buries his head on Xiyadie chest crying. The “Vase” is a symbol of peace and prosperity. It he shows an androgynous couple copulating. The head of one of those two people extends outside of the vase and spews beautiful flowers from several stems that touch a centerpiece on top of the figure’s head, the symbol of the happiness of marriage. It is this sense of empowerment and harmony that he’s been able extract through his artwork.
“Cutting this thing I have to have a lot of imagination,” he said. “Through my imagination, I am the creator; I’m the king. So, cutting paper is not cutting my skin, cutting my body, it’s cutting paper. “I can do whatever I want. I create the whole work... That’s why in my product, you always see a lot of nature like birds, trees, flowers; all connect from nature.” In China, authorities largely turn a blind eye to homosexuality as long as it is not obvious. His work would be confiscated if they were to be displayed without proper permits. Although it is has continued on following page