“Global art history” is a current buzz-phrase for art historians. As the humanities continue to become more self-aware, they have been making strides to move past their enduring parochialisms. In art history, this has manifested as a conscious movement away from the focus on Western European art out of which the (Western) discipline was born. Thus, as art programs try to make themselves increasingly relevant to the “globalized” modern moment, there has been a rise in scholarship on and discussion about what it means to practice a global art history.
But, what does it mean to maintain a global art practice? One of latest exhibitions at the Block Museum, Tseng Kwong Chi: Performing for the Camera, offers an answer to this question. Upon walking into the white-walled enclosure, the viewer meets the artist Tse Kwong Chi in a large photograph entitled East Meets West Manifesto (1983). Caught within the 4 x 4 foot frame, Chi, dressed in what curator Janet Dees calls his “Mao suit”—a greyish-brown Zhongshan suit associated with Mao Zedong and communist dignitaries—and black shoes, stands behind a hanging United States flag and in front of an image of the Chinese flag. Caught between these two nationalistic images, Chi peers out expressionless at the viewer while holding a clicker attached to a shiny black wire that connects to his off-screen camera. This system of self portraiture is what Dees calls “the original selfie stick.”
The photograph is intriguing. Caught within the artificial landscape of saturated reds, blue, white, and yellow, Chi looks out at the viewer, his eyes hidden behind a pair of Matrix-esque sunglasses. From his sturdy stance, with legs firmly planted apart, Chi pulls the American flag to the side to reveal more of his face and body. This act of “pulling back the curtain” also serves to welcome the viewer into Chi’s studio and the exhibition at large. The punched up color, attractive nondescript figure, and bold, yet humorous simplicity all recall the visual language of advertisements—an interpretation the museum has perpetuated by using the image on its promotional material for the exhibition.
Chi first discovered the power of his “Mao suit” when he went out to dinner with his parents in New York City. Chi was born in 1950 in Hong Kong, yet spent most of his youth in Vancouver. Chi eventually went to school in Paris and found himself in New York City by 1978 where he worked primarily as a photojournalist documenting lower Manhattan’s nightlife. In 1979, his parents visited and they wanted to go to dinner at the infamous Windows of the World restaurant. Chi did not have a suit to wear to dinner, except for the Mao suit he had found at a thrift shop. So, to the surprise of his parents, Chi showed up to dinner in a Mao suit. To Chi’s surprise, he was treated exceptionally well while wearing it; apparently people thought he was a dignitary from China.
Once Chi realized the power of this costume, he began incorporating it into his artistic practice. In Tseng Kwong Chi: Performing for the Camera, the visitor gets a taste of Chi’s adventures in iconic landscapes. Numerous black-and-white photos of Chi dressed in his Mao suit, black shoes, and sunglasses in a variety of international locations line the museum walls. Chi once described himself as an “ambiguous ambassador.” His photographs reflect such a statement. We see Chi, always dressed in his Mao suit, at Checkpoint Charlie, in front of the Eiffel Tower, near Mount Rushmore, and the list goes on.
East Meets West Manifesto foregrounds the exhibition for the viewer. Thus, the viewer is introduced to Chi as the ambiguous ambassador—a man quite literally caught between two national identities. The viewer also gets a sense of Chi’s methods. Within this work, Chi “pulls back the curtain,” giving us insight into his method of taking self-portraits (via wire-attached clicker) and into his studio. Notably, the image of the Chinese flag becomes darker as it spreads over the floor, clearly indicating that it is not an actual flag, but a backdrop in a studio.
In other words, East Meets West Manifesto is winking at us—it’s a performance, but one that does not hide its infrastructure. This playfulness extends to Chi himself. On Chi, the Mao suit becomes a costume—it was something he wore in his photographs and to get into swanky events—and his deadpan expression, extended throughout his work, presents a performative facade. He is a performer within this ambiguous global landscape that he has crafted. Hanging within the studio and beside Chi, the Chinese and American flags each lose some of their aura. Rather than serving as ritualistic and enduring images of national unity, the flags are reduced to set dressing.
Chi’s practice is inclusive. By using easily recognizable uniforms, symbols, and landscapes, Chi allows a variety of viewers to “read” his works. And, in a global art practice, this sense of “legibility” is crucial because it bridges boundaries. Through accessible aesthetic symbols, Chi meets the East and the West. However, Chi does not clearly offer a single interpretation of what this meeting means. The image simply presents a series of East-West pairings: the Chinese flag and the American flag, an American citizen of Chinese descent, and a Mao suit in a New York City studio. These pairings reveal the variety of imprecise ways that the East and West meet and interact. Through these encounters, the boundaries between these abstract places become muddied. By welcoming us into his studio of intersecting nationalities and permeable international boundaries, Chi invites us to reconsider the dividing lines of a globalized world.
Taking up Chi’s work, I would suggest that we, the art historians, the critics, and the scholars, do not isolate ourselves in ivory towers, but work in languages that are inclusive. I suggest that when we face difficult tasks—like defining the boundaries between ideas and places—we don’t rush to offer a singular answer, but sit with the inescapable ambiguity of it all. Like Chi, we can be ambiguous ambassadors, meeting ideas, symbols, cultures, and identities while leaving room for playfulness and uncertainty.
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*The background regarding Tse Kwong Chi and his artistic practice come from listening to a gallery talk given by Janet Dees at the Block Museum on September 29, 2016.
445 Comments
This was a really great read, Julia!
I wonder, though, how the average viewer may understand Chi’s work — in other words, those who are not art world intelligentsia. Do you think the “legibility” you noted is obvious to all those who experience Chi’s work?
And beyond global art practice, can Chi’s work help us bridge boundaries in our everyday life? In other words, can it encourage average Americans to abandon their ivory towers, too?
Interested to hear your thoughts, and I’m looking forward to seeing Chi’s work next week.
This is a thought-provoking analysis of Chi’s work, Julia! I particularly appreciate your emphasis on its “legibility.”
You raise an interesting question about the accessibility of Chi’s work for the “average viewer” beyond the art world. It’s crucial to consider how readily understandable the art might be for a broader audience.
Exploring methods to bridge this potential gap would be valuable. Perhaps discussing interpretive strategies or educational tools that could enhance the experience for viewers with varying levels of art expertise could be insightful.
Additionally, your question about Chi’s work fostering connections beyond the art world is intriguing. Could the artist’s approach, as you describe it, encourage broader societal reflection on dismantling “ivory towers”?
Examining how the themes or messages embedded in Chi’s work might resonate with everyday life could be an interesting avenue to explore. This analysis could highlight the potential for art to inspire broader societal discourse and action, not just within the confines of the art world.
Overall, your insightful comment raises valuable questions about accessibility, interpretation, and the potential impact of art beyond the walls of museums and galleries. It paves the way for a richer understanding and appreciation of Chi’s work and its potential influence on the broader world.
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I find the idea of “legibility” fascinating, especially when putting side by side with the idea of multiple interpretations.
That is, viewers have to be able to read the art work. However, it is not that they all have to read it in the same way, which more or less echoes how Tseng defines himself as an “ambiguous ambassador”: ambassador as a person that bridges and conveys messages, and ambiguous as in not restricting interpretations in any one way.
Chi “pulls back the curtain” in this piece, allowing viewers to see inside his studio and how he takes self-portraits (using a dordle wire-attached clicker). Notably, the Chinese flag picture darkens as it extends over the ground, making it very evident that it is a studio background rather than a real banner.
Julia — Nice piece. As Anna and Daniel note, I think your two themes become boundary work and legibility and how they relate to each other through the case study of Tseng’s work (I believe his last name is Tseng, as in the Chinese mode of last name first rather than the Western order of first, last. In the States, he went by Joseph Tseng–even two names here, reinforcing your theme about his effort to navigate between two identities). So you might continue to crystallize this relationship. Ambiguity as a good or a bad thing? What it means to be an ambassador, who typically represents others rather than her or himself? Also, the cultural use of Mao in trendy avant-garde art world NYC is rich here and could serve as its own fully developed essay of cultural criticism! One thinks of the Warhol prints of Mao as well as how Mao is now a kind of good luck charm in China.
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