Born 1950, Hong Kong-born American photographer Tseng Kwong Chi was active in the East Village art scene in the 1980s. He is the brother of dancer/choreographer Muna Tseng.
Tseng was part of a circle of artists in the 1980s New York art scene including Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, and Cindy Sherman. He took tens of thousands of photographs of New York graffiti artist Keith Haring throughout the 1980s working on murals, installations and the subway
Tseng's most famous body of work is his self-portrait series, East Meets West, also called the "Expeditionary Series". In the series, Tseng dressed in what he called his "Mao suit" and sunglasses (dubbed a "wickedly surrealistic persona" by the New York Times) and photographed himself situated, often emotionlessly, in front of iconic tourist sites. These included the Statue of Liberty, Cape Canaveral, Disney Land, Notre Dame de Paris, and the World Trade Center.
Tseng died of AIDS-related illness in 1990. His work is in the public collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
These stunning photos are part of his work that Tseng took his self portraits in 1979 and the 1980s.
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| Self portraits by Tseng Kwong Chi |
Tseng was part of a circle of artists in the 1980s New York art scene including Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, and Cindy Sherman. He took tens of thousands of photographs of New York graffiti artist Keith Haring throughout the 1980s working on murals, installations and the subway
Tseng's most famous body of work is his self-portrait series, East Meets West, also called the "Expeditionary Series". In the series, Tseng dressed in what he called his "Mao suit" and sunglasses (dubbed a "wickedly surrealistic persona" by the New York Times) and photographed himself situated, often emotionlessly, in front of iconic tourist sites. These included the Statue of Liberty, Cape Canaveral, Disney Land, Notre Dame de Paris, and the World Trade Center.
Tseng died of AIDS-related illness in 1990. His work is in the public collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
These stunning photos are part of his work that Tseng took his self portraits in 1979 and the 1980s.
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| Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, 1979 |
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| Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, 1979 |
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| Disney Land, California, 1979 |
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| Disneyland, Anaheim, 1979 |
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| New York, 1979 |
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| World Trade Center, New York, 1979 |
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| Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C., 1981 |
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| Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, 1983 |
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| Place du Trocadero, Paris, 1983 |
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| Niagara Falls, New York, 1984 |
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| Bordeaux, France (wine bottle), 1985 |
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| Cape Canaveral, Florida (Lunar Ship), 1985 |
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| Lake Ninevah, Vermont, 1985.png |
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| Banff National Park, Alberta, 1986 |
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| Lake Moraine, Northwest Territories, 1986 |
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| Seven Peaks Snowfield, Canada, 1986 |
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| Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 1987 |
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| Monument Valley, Arizona, 1987 |
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| Leaning Tower of Pisa, 1989 |
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| Rome, Italy, 1989 |
When I first saw these pics I thought the guy in them was some egotistical and psychotic communist thug leader. I had no idea they were a photographer until I read the article.
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