Hello, My name is Tseng Kwong Chi, and I am a Chinese-American photographer, documentarian, and “ambiguous ambassador” from Hong Kong. My former name was Joseph Teng, prior to my professional start. I am most notably known for my work involvement in the New York East Village Art Scene in the 1980s, though I got my educational start in painting, later changing my major from the Academie Julien in Canada. I moved to Canda at the age of 16, after my parents were exiled from China for being Nationalists, then I ventured down to New York where the most memorable times of my life happened. My best friends were Keith Haring, Kenny Scarf, and the infamous Cindy Sherman. Keith Haring and I were always together, we held a lot of joint exhibitions together because a large number of my photographs documented Keith’s process and his early beginnings in the Subway.
My most notable work is an exploration of tourist photography, truth, fiction, and identity, sometimes referred to as “East Meets West” or “The Expeditionary Series”. The series features me in front of iconic tourist destinations like The Statue of Liberty, Disney Land, Notre Dame, and The World Trade Center. In the images, I am depicted in a very reserved manor wearing a “Mao suit” and tinted sunglasses. I have said before, that the mirrored glasses give the pictures a neutral impact and a surrealistic quality. When wearing this outfit and taking these pictures I embody an inquisitive traveler, a witness of time, and an ambiguous ambassador. My friends would say I am reserved on the outside but funny and abstract to my closest comrades. My usual outfits were always composed of mostly black clothing, with a pop of color. My career evolved due to my unique outsider perspective on tourism and iconography.
I died March 10, 1990, of AIDS related complications, and was survived by my lover of seven years, Robert-Kristoffer Haynes. Some say that I am influenced by the works of Brassai and Cartier-Bresson, which I believe is a good start when looking to relate my work to others. My work is still popular and viewed today, there is a piece at Parsons School of Design and was a recent panel discussion in honor of me at The Gray art Collective at New York University (NYU). My work continues to inspire young artist today.
