Tseng Kwong Chi
Tseng Kwong Chi, New York, New York, 1979, from the series East Meets West. Gelatin silver print, image: 36 x 36 inches, frame: 38 x 38 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, New York, New York, 1979, from the series East Meets West. Gelatin silver print, image: 36 x 36 inches, frame: 38 x 38 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, Hollywood, California, 1979, from the series East Meets West. Gelatin silver print, image: 15 x 15 inches, frame: 24 x 24 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, Kamakura, Japan, 1988, from the series East Meets West. Gelatin silver print, image: 15 x 15 inches, frame: 24 x 24 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, New York, New York, 1979, from the series East Meets West. Gelatin silver print, image: 15 x 15 inches, frame: 24 x 24 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, Niagara Falls, New York, 1984, from the series East Meets West. Gelatin silver print, image: 15 x 15 inches, frame: 24 x 24 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, Rome, Italy, 1989, from the series East Meets West. Gelatin silver print, image: 15 x 15 inches, frame: 24 x 24 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, collaboration, 1985. Chromogenic print, image: 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches, frame: 26 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, Jean-Michel Basquiat, New York, “KING PLEASURE” sitting with coffee cup, 1987. Chromogenic print, image: 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches, frame: 26 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, Andy Warhol, New York, with Liz Taylor’s portrait in Fred Hughes’ red studio, 1986. Chromogenic print, image: 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches, frame: 26 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, Keith Haring Pop Shop New York, 1986. Chromogenic print, image: 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches, frame: 26 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches.
Tseng Kwong Chi, Keith Haring on couch, New York studio, 1988. Chromogenic print, image: 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches, frame: 26 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches.
Yancey Richardson is pleased to present at Independent, where we will exhibit a solo booth of work by Chinese-American photographer, performance artist and provocateur, Tseng Kwong Chi. Combining performance and photography, political satire and personal identity, Tseng’s pioneering work exemplifies the irreverence and experimentation of the eighties while anticipating the social, political and philosophical issues of the present day. The presentation will include a selection of iconic self-portraits from the series East Meets West (1979-87), in addition to a series of portraits of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michael Basquiat and Keith Haring who Tseng knew and photographed often.
Wearing a Zhongshan suit—also known as a ‘Mao suit’—sunglasses and an ID badge, Tseng traveled to major American landmarks. His enigmatic and reflective self-portraits, made with a 1940s Rolleiflex camera, mischievously and subtly investigated core issues of outsider and identity politics. Pictured at the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty and other monumental sites, Tseng’s persona at times suggests that of an austere, visiting dignitary paying homage to sites signifying American greatness, whereas in others he leads with playfulness and humor.
A close friend and collaborator of Keith Haring, Tseng traveled with and photographed the artist extensively. From his early guerilla-style subway drawings to his AIDS-related projects and later to his interactions with other artists in the New York art scene, Tseng photographed Haring and his wider social circle, including other influential and even iconic artists, such as Basquiat and Warhol, often capturing them candidly in the studio surrounded by their work. These portraits demonstrate the humanism at the heart of Tseng’s larger photographic project of political and cultural critique.