His pseudonym, which means ‘Siberian Butterfly,’ was chosen so that the butterfly surviving in a harsh environment could signify “the difficulty of living a gay life in a sexually conservative society (Bao, 158).”Īs Bao explores in the article cited below, Xiyadie’s work also blurs categories of ‘craft’ and ‘art,’ which in itself might be read as a queer defiance of categories. His artwork often explores the lives of queer people who are living in rural China specifically. He was born in Heyang County, Shaanxi Province and is now living in Beijing. Xiyadie (pseudonym) is the first known queer artist to carry on the traditional practice of papercutting in China, which has its roots in the Eastern Han Dynasty (Bao, 157 and Nome Gallery). Love is universal." You can order your copy of "LOVING: A Photographic History of Men in Love" here.Media: Papercut, Water-Based Dye, and Chinese Pigments using Xuan Paper And the love that they shared will inspire others, as they have us. And far from being ostracized or condemned, they will be celebrated and loved. Speaking of the release of their book, Treadwell and Nini stated: "The subjects of our photos, with the release of 'LOVING', will publicly narrate their own lives for the first time in history. As such, the anonymity of the photo booth was a safe place for a couple, as they could act as the subject, the photographer, and developer. During WWII, the appearance of wedding rings, bracelets and other jewelry serving as symbols of commitment became more common and were worn by many soldiers and sailors.Īnother theme that emerged early on was the photo booth photo strip, which was popular with couples for decades. One of the earliest photos in the book, from around 1860, shows one of the men wearing a ring on his little finger. "While none of the men in 'LOVING' had the legal option of marriage, photos show that many of them exchanged rings. "For example, beginning in the mid-1880s, and continuing through the 1920s, posing under an umbrella was a common element, perhaps signal, that the two men were engaged in a romantic relationship," the release revealed. Treadwell and Nini also observed recurring themes throughout their collection that wove a common thread through decades, centuries and countries. "Once committed to the project, the collectors searched for tell-tale signals that might indicate a love relationship, most importantly the expression in the eyes, followed by body-language that might be as subtle as a glancing touch," states the press release. Presented in a small art deco glass frame with "Yours Always" etched into the glass, their second find motivated the couple to spend more time on growing their collection. This curiosity was amplified by a second photo they found through an online auction that shows two soldiers from the 1940s posed cheek to cheek.
It sparked in the pair a curiosity to figure out how this image survived into the 21st century. Recounting how they began combing through history for these images that have survived the tides of time, Treadwell and Nini revealed that their journey began with one photograph they stumbled upon in an antique shop in Dallas, Texas.ĭated somewhere around 1920, the photograph depicts two young men embracing and gazing at one another and clearly in love.