''With this series, Sarah Mei Herman brings to light people who live too often hidden from our view. Her photography allows us to open up to them and allows them to open up to us.''—Nathalie Herschdorfer, Director Photo Elysée, Switzerland
Same-sex relationships have been an accepted part of Chinese culture for centuries. It was only in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, under the influence of the West, that homophobia became more prevalent; and under Mao, homosexuality was criminalized.
By the turn of the last millennium, same-sex relationships were once again legal, and by 2001, homosexuality had been declassified as a mental disorder. Polling suggests that the younger generation embraces sexual diversity and LGBTQ rights. But the stigma against queer people still remains. Recent reports from China have noted government attempts to clamp down on LGBTQ media and events, and numerous citizens are still being sent by family members to conversion therapy.
Acclaimed Dutch photographer Sarah Mei Herman first started photographing young queer people in China and their personal relationships during an artist residency in Xiamen in Fujian Province. As she explored what drew these people together, she herself built up close friendships with her subjects and, even after her residency had ended, returned to Xiamen to photograph them, capturing the way they had changed over a number of years.
Following is an introduction to some of the queer Chinese youth portrayed in Solace. Their quotes here about their families and other topics are drawn from Sarah Mei’s excerpted interviews with them. Their current places of residence are listed next to their names.
The sixteenth entry in The New Press’s worldwide LGBTQ photobook series, Solace is a stunning collection of full-color photos in a beautiful, affordable volume. It provides a portrait of young people navigating the ambiguities of friendship and sexuality as they enter adulthood and grapple with what it means to be queer in modern-day China.
The photobook series is the result of a unique collaboration between the Arcus Foundation, Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios (EWS), and The New Press. Solace was designed by Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios.
About the Author:
Sarah Mei Herman is a graduate of The Royal College of Art in London. Her work has been shown internationally at The National Portrait Gallery in London, Le Chateau d’Eau in Toulouse, and JIMEI X ARLES International Photofestival, among other locations. The author of Solace: Portraits of Queer Chinese Youth (The New Press), she is based in Amsterdam.
sarahmeiherman.nl 
