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New York, New York

New York, New York
Usage Conditions Apply
Associated Title
Series: East Meets West
Artist
Tseng Kwong Chi, 06 Sep 1950 - 10 Mar 1990
Sitter
Tseng Kwong Chi, 06 Sep 1950 - 10 Mar 1990
Date
1979 (printed 2017)
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
Topic
Exterior
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Sunglasses
Nature & Environment\Water\River
Architecture\Bridge
Self-portrait
Tseng Kwong Chi: Male
Tseng Kwong Chi: Visual Arts\Artist\Photographer
Portrait
Place
United States\New York\Kings\New York
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
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 1979, Muna Tseng Dance Projects, INC.
Object number
NPG.2017.100
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.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view