Liu Xiaoyi, Artistic Director of Emergency Stairs, has been honoured with the “Global Outstanding Young Leader” award by Yazhou Zhoukan (Asiaweek). He received the award at Yazhou Zhoukan’s 36th Anniversary Gala held on 9th August 2024.

“In 1995, contemporary artist Tang Da Wu created a renowned piece of performance art. During the opening of an exhibition, he presented a card to then-President Ong Teng Cheong of Singapore, with the words, “I am an artist. I am important.” He then, with the President’s consent, donned a coat with the phrase “DON’T GIVE MONEY TO THE ARTS” embroidered on the back,” said Xiaoyi, at the Gala.

“The value of culture and the arts is often overlooked. Over the years, my team at Refuge Stage and I have struggled to survive while striving for sustainable development. We believe that art is not merely a pastime for idle moments, nor is it a dispensable ornament or a commodity for consumption. Art brings innovation, critical thinking, compassion, and love to society. Therefore, I am deeply grateful to Yazhou Zhoukan for bestowing this award upon an artist. I am an artist. I am important.”

The “Global Outstanding Young Leader” award, organized by Yazhou Zhoukan, aims to recognize the achievements of exceptional young leaders across various fields, to promote social welfare, and to set a benchmark for the new generation. After rigorous evaluation by the judging committee, those who have demonstrated extraordinary performance and outstanding achievements in their respective fields, contributing significantly to enterprises, industries, and social welfare, are selected as “Global Outstanding Young Leaders” and awarded this prestigious honour.

Liu Xiaoyi stands out as a prominent young leader within the network of Asian experimental art and cultural exchange. As the Artistic Director of the Singaporean group Emergency Stairs, he is not only a versatile theatre artist but also a leading figure in cultural exchange, talent development, and art criticism. Over the past two decades, Liu Xiaoyi has contributed to more more than 80 theatrical works in various roles, including as director, playwright, and actor.

Notably, his innovative work in theatre form has been widely discussed. From 2017 to 2019, Liu Xiaoyi created the Postdramatic Series trilogy at Singapore’s Esplanade, challenging traditional narratives, spatial structures, and audience relationships. Liu Xiaoyi is also exploring the intersection of art and technology. Since 2018, he has been researching AI-assisted scriptwriting, becoming one of the pioneering artists in this field.

“Art continuously responds to the era in which we live, including the era’s technology,” says Xiaoyi. “Technology transforms artistic creation, but art can also drive technological innovation.” Experimental works often evoke polarized reactions, and Liu Xiaoyi’s creations have been described as “the most provocative political theatre from Singapore.” One notable example is his 2018 work “Journey to Nowhere”, which brought together seven distinguished artists from different countries, using Singapore’s newly announced cultural policy white paper as the script. “I always discuss theatre within theatre,” Liu Xiaoyi’s reflective thinking and broad vision extend beyond those of a typical artist.

This broad perspective is also evident in Liu Xiaoyi’s active promotion of cultural exchange. His cross-cultural creations, particularly those bridging traditional and contemporary forms, include Kunqu, Peking Opera, Noh, Thai court dance, Cambodian traditional dance, and Javanese traditional dance. “I hope to establish a multicultural exchange platform that fosters understanding and respect among different cultures and explores what contemporary Asian art is,” he states.

As Artistic Director, Liu Xiaoyi has curated the “Southernmost” project since 2017, inviting leading Asian artists to Singapore for cross-disciplinary exchange, thus developing a new network of artists. He has also served as a curator and mentor for festivals in Canada, Germany, China, and Japan. Today, Liu Xiaoyi spends much of his time traveling, seemingly connecting artists and institutions from different regions with his steps. This is because he firmly believes in the importance of cultural exchange, international collaboration, and dialogue.

In addition to his creative work, Liu Xiaoyi is dedicated to art education and talent development. He founded and leads several talent development platforms, including the global youth cultural leadership incubation program “Emergency Academy.” He is also deeply involved in criticism and research, having established Singapore’s first Chinese theatre critique platform, “Re-Viewers,” and has been invited as a senior researcher at NAFA in Singapore University of the Arts, where he contributed to designing the newcontemporary Chinese theatre honors program. Additionally, he will serve as a visiting professor at the University of Giessen, Germany, before 2025.

Liu Xiaoyi has a particular focus on the development of independent artists. In 2020, he introduced the new concept of “self-institutionalization” and shared methodologies for “self-empowerment” with artists worldwide. “Institutionalization does not necessarily mean creating institutions; rather, it is about thinking like an institution to establish sustainable artistic development,” he says. He hopes to assist young artists in enhancing their cultural leadership and finding strategies and methods for long-term development through workshops, lectures, and artistic exchanges.

On receiving the Global Outstanding Young Leader award from Asia Weekly, Liu Xiaoyi comments, “This is more of an encouragement for the future.” Regarding his future plans, Liu Xiaoyi reveals that he will continue his innovative theatre experiments and establish more long-term exchange platforms to provide dialogue spaces for artists from various fields. Liu Xiaoyi exemplifies the journey from actor, director, and artistic director to a leading figure in cultural exchange, expanding his stage step by step, as he puts it: “Creating a cultural environment is more important than creating a work.”