New York, New York, 1979
Paris, France, 1979
Washington D.C., 1982
London, England, 1983
San Francisco, California, 1979
Tseng Kwong Chi (Chinese, 1950-1990)
East Meets West series, 1979-1990
Gelatin silver prints 20 x 16 in.; 25 x 25 in. framed
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver by exiled Chinese nationalist parents, Tseng Kwong Chi studied photography in Paris before moving to New York City in 1978. He was active in the 1980s East Village art scene and counted among his close friends Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Grace Jones, and Halston.
Each photograph depicts Tseng as a Chinese tourist wearing a Mao suit, mirrored sunglasses, and a fake I.D. while standing in front of a recognizable cultural landmark. Tseng intended his “ambiguous ambassador” alter ego as a commentary on the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures. The series was partly inspired by Richard Nixon’s carefully staged appearances during his 1972 trip to the People’s Republic of China, including the now infamous Nixon-Mao handshake. Tseng had a short but prolific career, dying in 1990 at the age of 40 of AIDS-related illness.
Tseng’s work is in numerous public collections, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; Tate Britain, London; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, among many others.
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