Mar 9, 2023, 6 PM – 7:30 PM

Artist and Curator Walkthrough: Queer Cut Utopias

Xiyadie, Gate, 1992. Papercut with water-based dye and Chinese pigments on Xuan paper, 55 1/8 x 55 1/8 in (140 x 140 cm). Courtesy of the artist — Xiyadie, *Gate,* 1992. Papercut with water-based dye and Chinese pigments on Xuan paper, 55 1/8 x 55 1/8 in (140 x 140 cm). Courtesy of the artist

Join Chinese artist Xiyadie and Associate Curator Rosario Güiraldes for an in-person walkthrough of the exhibition Queer Cut Utopias.

The name Xiyadie, which translates to Siberian Butterfly, is one the artist chose for himself to describe his upbringing in Weinan, a city in the Shaanxi Province of Northwest China. A reflection of his personal and artistic evolution, the pseudonym also denotes Xiyadie’s enduring resilience despite the fact that he has never been able to freely show his work or live openly with regard to his sexual orientation. Queer Cut Utopias features more than thirty of Xiyadie’s intricate paper-cuts, dating from the early 1980s through today, each of which articulates his longing to fully express his queer desire. Xiyadie presents a strong sense of artistic autonomy; his highly graphic works on paper fuse traditional folk forms and iconography with narratives from his personal life.

A Mandarin interpreter will be available during this event

Rosario Güiraldes
Xiyadie

Since his debut solo exhibition at the Beijing LGBT Center (2010), Xiyadie’s work has been shown extensively. He was a participating artist in Spectrosynthesis: Asian LGBTQ Issues and Art Now, the largest survey exhibition of its kind in Asia that was presented at BACC, Bangkok (2019) and MOCA, Taipei (2017). His work has also been shown at Tai Kwun; Blindspot Gallery, both Hong Kong (2022); Haus der Kulturen der Welt; Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, both Berlin (2022); Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw (2020); Long March Space, Beijing (2019); Gwangju Biennale (2018); Nome Gallery, Berlin (2018); Para Site, Hong Kong (2017); Galerie Verbeeck – Van Dyck, Antwerp (2015); Topenmuseum, Amsterdam (2015); Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg (2013); Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm (2012); and Flazh!Alley Art Studio, San Pedro, USA (2012). Xiyadie currently lives and works in Shaanxi, China.

The Drawing Center's Education and Community Programs are made possible by the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. Major support is provided by the Evelyn Toll Family Foundation and the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and the Claire and Theodore Morse Foundation.

Support for Xiyadie: Queer Cut Utopias is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Additional funding is provided by The Drawing Center Exhibition Fund, the Teiger Foundation, Galia Meiri-Stawski and Axel Stawski, Frances Beatty and Allen Adler, Dita Amory, Stacey and Rob Goergen, and Barbara Toll.