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M+, Hong Kong, © Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc., New York
Tseng Kwong Chi 曾廣智
Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, Germany, 1986 1986年，德國柏林，查理檢查哨
photographed 1986, printed 2017
Hong Kong–born photographer Tseng Kwong Chi began his influential black-and-white self-portraits in 1979, after moving to New York City. Shot over a ten-year period, the Expeditionary Series, also known as East Meets West, features Tseng posing in front of numerous landmarks around the world. In each instance, he is dressed in a uniform consisting of a second-hand Zhongshan suit—commonly referred to as a ‘Mao suit’—mirrored sunglasses, and a fake identification badge. This image captures him walking past Checkpoint Charlie, a border-control point separating East Berlin and West Berlin that became a powerful symbol of the Cold War. The location and prominent flags represent Tseng’s interest in national icons. Tseng’s square compositions generally feature the artist looking away, visibly holding the shutter-release cable, which contributes to their staged quality. This particular photograph’s depiction of Tseng in motion is unusual in the series.
Acting as an ‘ambiguous ambassador’ or tourist, Tseng ironically explores a number of issues related to identity, such as cultural signifiers and stereotypes. The costume and performative quality of his fictional persona are associated with queer practices like drag and masquerade. Tseng’s status as a transnational immigrant informed the project’s geographic dislocation at a crucial time of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. The series probes many dichotomies: the individual and the universal, visibility and anonymity, and the body and the landscape.
Acting as an ‘ambiguous ambassador’ or tourist, Tseng ironically explores a number of issues related to identity, such as cultural signifiers and stereotypes. The costume and performative quality of his fictional persona are associated with queer practices like drag and masquerade. Tseng’s status as a transnational immigrant informed the project’s geographic dislocation at a crucial time of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. The series probes many dichotomies: the individual and the universal, visibility and anonymity, and the body and the landscape.
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