National Photography Month: Tseng Kwong Chi
Hollywood, California, 1979 © Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc. Courtesy of the Estate of Tseng Kwong Chi and Yancey Richardson, New York.
Written by Andy Dion
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Yancey Richardson Galleries recently presented the ubiquitous self portrait series of Tseng Kwong Chi, East Meets West. By situating himself standing before American tourist locations, clad in a Mao suit, Tseng used the series to explore social conventions, values, and politics in a sobering and often humorous way.
Born in Hong Kong in 1950 and raised in Vancouver, Tseng later moved to New York City in 1978. A year following his move to the Big Apple, he began taking self portraits with American landmarks. On a fateful dinner date with his family, Tseng, donning a recently thrifted tunic suit, found himself being treated like nobility by the waitstaff. From thereon, he began owning the role of a stately Chinese official and basked in the performance of his fictional identity, taking it to the streets. This persona became the central satirical theme of East Meets West.
Grand Canyon, Arizona, 1987 © Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc. Courtesy of the Estate of Tseng Kwong Chi and Yancey Richardson, New York.
Inspired by President Richard Nixon’s infamous meeting with Chairman Mao in 1972, Tseng decided to conduct his “ambiguous ambassador’s” tour of the United States of America, acquainting himself with the natural and manmade splendors the country offered. He can be seen admiring the constant mists of Niagara Falls, enjoying the commercial pleasures of Disneyland, and enthusiastically jumping for joy like a stereotypical tourist under the Brooklyn Bridge. His stately getup more than implies political commentary, and emphasizes Tseng’s otherness amid the All-American backdrop.
The presence of the two distinct national themes of China and America offers commentary on cultural signifiers and their attainability. By visiting ubiquitous and commonly commodified locales like Disneyland, Tseng alludes to the material value of identity. After all, his signature Mao suit was bought in a clothing store. By participating in a transactional system, Tseng contemplates how, exactly, identity can be secured, if at all.
Disneyland, California, 1979 © Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc. Courtesy of the Estate of Tseng Kwong Chi and Yancey Richardson, New York.
Tseng’s mysterious traveller character also captures the wonder of excursions. The suited man ventures from coast to coast, smelling the balmy cold waters of the east and enduring the heats of the desert-covered west. In one image, he sits atop a plateau of the Grand Canyon; the world feels big, yet small. In numerous photos, he plays with size, standing next to the Empire State building at night, illuminating his reflective black sunglasses. In another, he stands straight next to a missile. Tseng frames many of these shots to prioritize his presence and the landmarks equally, like in a shot of him posing before the Golden Gate Bridge where he takes up just as much space as the landmark. Effortlessly humorous, yet without sacrificing these apt conflations, Tseng reveals the staggering quantity of phallic symbols denoting national pride. Standing next to tall monuments, he appears to size them up and compete with them, as if his sole desire is to match up with these hulking placeholders of American values.
New York, New York, 1979 © Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc. Courtesy of the Estate of Tseng Kwong Chi and Yancey Richardson, New York.
In no words, Tseng conveys timely commentary on territory, culture, and identity in East Meets West. More than anything, his nameless, genteel persona represents a conversation between himself and his surroundings. Though many years stand between the world today and these photographs, this conversation persists and the mysterious Mao suit-wearing Tseng will always be there to remind us that it does.
