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By Kiara Ventura  Tseng Kwong Chi New York, New York (Brooklyn Bridge), 1979, from the East Meets West series Gelatin silver print, printed 2014 36 x 36 in. Courtesy Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc., New York When walking into the Grey Art Gallery, one would be greeted by a large red text on a deep blue wall reading, Tseng Kwong Chi: Performing for the Camera. Now who is Tseng Kwong Chi? And how does he incorporate the art of performing with photography? Tseng Kwong Chi was born in Hong Kong during 1951. While growing up, his father fought in the Nationalist Army against Mao Zedong and the Communists in China. Him and his family fled to Shanghai, then Hong Kong, and immigrated to Vancouver in 1966 due to the communist takeover. Chi attended the University of British Columbia and decided to continue his education in Paris. He studied painting, graphics, and found his calling for photography at the Ecole Superieure D’Arts Graphiques (ESAG). After being educated in Paris, he moved to the Big Apple`s downtown area in 1978 with his sister, Muna Tseng, who was pursuing her dance career.  Tseng Kwong Chi New York, New York (World Trade Center), 1979, from the East Meets West series Gelatin silver print, printed 2005 Courtesy Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc., New York When taking a right into the gallery after reading its inviting wall text, one would see an array of photos showing Mr. Chi in front of various tourist sites, all part of the “East Meets West Series.” These black and white works show Chi with his head up high as the Twin Towers, Hollywood sign, the Eiffel tower, and the Notre Dame Cathedral all served as his one of his many backgrounds. I personally admired the photo where Chi snapped a photo of himself jumping in front on the Brooklyn Bridge as his mouth was open and his arm was up as if he was about to rocket into the NYC skies. Even though he constantly changed his background, his “Mao suit,” black mysterious sunglasses, and adventurous character remained present in each piece. Looking closely, one would notice the black device in his hand that enabled him to be his own photographer in the push of a button, which is why some call him the inventor of the “selfie.” In the “Expeditionary Series,” the settings are more natural, grand, and breathtaking. A work that I spent a good amount of time studying was taken in 1987 Puerto Rico where Tseng stands at the far distant end of the photo. The ocean with calm cool waves takes up most of photo while the shining sun illuminates Tseng`s small figure that stands near a cliff. At a first glance, Tseng may not be spotted. Throughout this series, my friend and I even made a game called, “Spot Tseng!” since there seems to be a theme of Tseng blending into the natural settings due to his far distance from the camera. However, his attire and Chinese inspired look set him to seem out of place against natural environments. He was also able to accomplish these photos with the help of two assistants. I soon got a glimpse of his journalistic and lively social life in the upcoming sections. He was once a freelance writer for the Soho Weekly News and in one of his articles he created a project in which he invited political figures that were against gay, feminist, and abortion rights to pose in front of a crumbled American flag, as part of the “Moral Majority Series.” Tseng, who is gay himself, expressed a sense of irony when he posed with some of these conservative Christian politicians. Along with his hand held button, Tseng also covered a story in which he took pictures with celebrities at the Metropolitan Museum of Art`s Costumes of China, the Chi'ng Dynasty exhibition preview party where he was initially an uninvited guest but gained access because he wore his iconic “Mao Suit.” “The Downtown Scene” and “Portrait of Friends” displays Tseng`s wide array of friends which led me to wonder, “how did he make so many friends?” He took shots of renowned artists who broke the norms of the art world such as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and his closest friend, Keith Haring. In these photos, they are shown lounging in their respective studio settings that reflect their abstract artistic styles. The art of performance really comes alive in his covering the NYC downtown scene where in one of the photos Tseng confidently wears a dress, puckers his lips, and puts his hand on his hip as he poses for the camera. The gallery also provided a photo slideshow, which shed some light on Muna Tseng dancing and posing with a partner against a super galactic background.  Tseng Kwong Chi Andy Warhol (New York), c. 1986, from the Portraits of the Artists series C-print, printed 2012 30 x 30 in. Courtesy Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc., New York, and Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, New York In the downstairs gallery are photos Tseng shot with visitors of the Riis Park and Lifeguard ball in the early 1980s. When entering the downstairs section, one would be greeted by a group photo of Tseng on a beach with people dressed in bathing suits as a lady, whose nipple is falling out her one piece, has her hand on Tseng shoulder and his head on her buttocks. In this series, Tseng is smiling through it all. The end of the exhibition truly sheds light on Tseng`s collaborations with Keith Haring. Some his shots display Haring in the process of creating a subway drawing and painting on the body of Dancer Bill T. Jones. The exaggerated life size photo of Bill T. Jones`s bare body covered in spiral abstract designs made me wonder about all the talents that came together to form this one artwork; Haring's artistic style, Bill T. Jones`s sharp body form that almost mimics that of Haring's iconic figures, and Tseng`s talented eye that captured the perfect moment. At the end of my visit, I was sad to find out that Tseng died of AIDS at age 39 in 1990. But I was also surprised to find out that these photos were all taken within a decade, starting from 1980. This exhibition is just a glimpse of his many works which all seemed like they took a lifetime to create. A lifetime of adventure, experimentation, and pure fun.  Tseng Kwong Chi Art After Midnight, New York, 1985 Vintage gelatin silver print 36 x 36 in. Courtesy Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc., New York This exhibition was curated by Amy Brandt, a curator at the Chrysler Museum of Art, and is being shown at NYU`s Grey Art Gallery till July 11, 2015. INFO: Performing for the Camera by Tseng Kwong Chi Grey Art Gallery New York University 100 Washington Square East New York, NY 10003 For more info visit: http://www.nyu.edu/greyart/ Comments are closed.
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