Object Details
- Artist
- Tseng Kwong Chi, 6 Sep 1950 - 10 Mar 1990
- Sitter
- Tseng Kwong Chi, 6 Sep 1950 - 10 Mar 1990
- Exhibition Label
- Wearing dark glasses and a Mao Zedong suit, Tseng Kwong Chi traveled worldwide to create his evocative series East Meets West, in part inspired by Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China. Born in Hong Kong to exiled Chinese Nationalists, he invented the persona of a Chinese "Ambiguous Ambassador" to explore tourist photography and critically assess political tensions of the 1970s and 1980s. While mocking the period’s U.S.-China relations, Tseng’s images also highlight his ability to move freely across borders, a right that was denied to many Chinese. In this image, he jumps ecstatically before the Brooklyn Bridge, creating a photograph that is both a tongue-in-cheek and thoughtful consideration of the role of a historic site, tourism, and a foreign traveler’s body in the landscape. We also catch a glimpse of the shutter release and cord attached to the camera, the technology that made this self-portrait possible.
- Con un traje estilo Mao Tse-Tung y gafas oscuras, Tseng Kwong Chi viajó por el mundo para crear su evocativa serie East Meets West, inspirada en la visita de Richard Nixon a China en 1972. Nacido en Hong Kong de padres chinos nacionalistas exiliados, el artista adoptó la identidad ficticia de un "embajador ambiguo" de China para explorar las convenciones de la fotografía turística y analizar con ojo crítico las tensiones políticas de los años setenta y ochenta. A la vez que satirizan las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y China durante esa época, las fotos de Tseng evidencian que se las arregló para cruzar fronteras libremente, un derecho negado a muchos ciudadanos chinos. Esta imagen donde salta entusiasmado frente al puente de Brooklyn es un comentario irónico y a la vez reflexivo sobre la función de los sitios históricos, el turismo y la presencia del viajero extranjero en el paisaje. Podemos vislumbrar el cable del disparador remoto conectado a la cámara, tecnología que hizo posible este autorretrato.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
- 1979 (printed 2017)
- Object number
- NPG.2017.100
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © 1979, Muna Tseng Dance Projects, INC.
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Selenium-toned gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 38.2 × 38.1 cm (15 1/16 × 15")
- Sheet: 51.1 × 40.8 cm (20 1/8 × 16 1/16")
- Mat: 28 x 22 in
- Place
- United States\New York\Kings\New York
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Associated Title
- Series: East Meets West
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Exterior
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Sunglasses
- Nature & Environment\Water\River
- Architecture\Bridge
- Self-portrait
- Tseng Kwong Chi: Male
- Tseng Kwong Chi: Arts and Culture\Visual Arts\Artist\Photographer
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2017.100
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4b4f70404-34ad-4544-80d9-d73a4a6f114c
