New York, New York, from the series East Meets West

Tseng Kwong Chi, New York, New York, from the series East Meets West, 1979, printed 2020, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, 2021.14.2, © Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc.
Tseng Kwong Chi, New York, New York, from the series East Meets West, 1979, printed 2020, gelatin silver print, frame: 37 1⁄4 × 37 1⁄4 in. (94.6 × 94.6 cm) image: 36 × 36 in. (91.4 × 91.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, 2021.14.2, © Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc.

Artwork Details

Title
New York, New York, from the series East Meets West
Artist
Date
1979, printed 2020
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
frame: 37 1⁄4 × 37 1⁄4 in. (94.6 × 94.6 cm) image: 36 × 36 in. (91.4 × 91.4 cm)
Copyright
© Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc.
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Cityscape — New York — New York
Object Number
2021.14.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2021.14.2

Artwork Description

In his signature series East Meets West, Tseng Kwong Chi inhabited a persona he called the "Ambiguous Ambassador." Wearing a Mao suit (the gray uniform associated with the Chinese Communist Party) and mirrored sunglasses, he posed next to landmarks and monuments, many of them emblems of American national identity.


Tseng highlighted the signifying power of dress, gesture, and posture. As an immigrant and person of Chinese descent, he was also conscious of how Asians are stereotyped in the West. His donning of the Mao suit in public was a tongue-in-cheek performance of "Chineseness" that both played to and subverted assumptions about race, culture, and nationality.

Works by this artist (132 items)

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Man Ray, Fisherman's Idol, cast 1973, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.7
Fisherman’s Idol
Artist
Datecast 1973
bronze
On view
Man Ray, Le Voyeur, 1965, wooden cigar box with inserted door lens, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.4
Le Voyeur
Artist
Date1965
wooden cigar box with inserted door lens
On view
Man Ray, Its Another Spring, 1961, mixed media: metal spring, ivory ball, and wooden cigar box, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.6
Its Another Spring
Artist
Date1961
mixed media: metal spring, ivory ball, and wooden cigar box
On view
Man Ray, Square Dumb Bells, 1944 or 1945, cast bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.17A-B
Square Dumb Bells
Artist
Date1944 or 1945
cast bronze
On view

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