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M+, Hong Kong, Photograph by Tseng Kwong Chi. © (1979) Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc. New York. www.tsengkwongchi.com
Tseng Kwong Chi 曾廣智
New York, New York, 1979 1979年，紐約，紐約
1979, printed 2017
Hong Kong–born photographer Tseng Kwong Chi began his influential black-and-white self-portraits after moving to New York City in 1979. 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 of the World Trade Center, a symbol of capitalism, is shot from a low angle to frame Tseng looming like the towers behind him. The World Trade Center was completed in 1973, and was therefore a very new landmark when the photograph was taken. Tseng’s precise, monumental framing of the towers suggests their power and apparent permanence. The artist’s square compositions generally feature the artist looking away, visibly holding the shutter-release cable, which contributes to their staged quality.
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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