For my Graphic Design and Illustration history final project, I researched the connection between traditional Chinese papercutting and contemporary queer Chinese culture. Papercuts' historical use of expressing personal experiences through metaphorical symbols naturally lends itself to being a medium for contemporary artists to convey queer messages.  Based on the formal and conceptual parallels I discovered, I created two original papercut designs in response to the Chinese government’s recent suppression of queer media. Pride flags, another symbol that derives meaning from cultural context, are typically displayed in homes and businesses to demonstrate support for the queer community and indicate a welcoming space. However, individuals living in mainland China may not feel comfortable or safe using pride flags in the current political environment. Thus, my papercut designs serve as a subtler alternative that the queer community and their allies can display in their windows.  

Continuing traditional papercut purposes, my designs express my experience with contemporary queer Chinese culture through the adaptation of nature symbols derived from historical artifacts. Encoding the messages through these symbols reflects the survival of contemporary queer art under government censorship (Jiang). Meanwhile, using papercuts as the carrier of queer messages provides representation for the queer community and connects them to the cultural traditions and histories represented by papercuts.