Hong Kong-born American photographer Tseng Kwong Chi (1950-1990) is known for performative self-portraits that explore cultural constructs of identity. Nicknamed the “father of the selfie,” Tseng is one of the first Asian-American artists to satirically question diasporic identity through photography. Mao’s Meme Co. positions Tseng’s “East Meets West” as a historic example of memes due to Tseng’s appropriated costuming and backdrops and humorous commentary on identity in a distributable form.
Tseng began his “East Meets West” series in 1979 and continued it until he died of AIDS-related complications in 1990. Throughout the entire “East Meets West” series, Tseng donned a stereotypical Mao suit and mirrored sunglasses before photographing himself in front of popular American and international tourist sites such as the Lincoln Memorial and Buckingham Palace. Tseng’s decision to print and distribute multiple black and white photographs in the biggest size available at the time (40” by 40”) draws parallels to contemporary meme sharing online.[1]
In a nod to Tseng’s iconic dress, Tseng’s “East Meets West” series is now available in t-shirt form. T-shirts sold on Mao’s Meme Co. aim to further Tseng’s questioning of creating and consuming an identity through our offering of a mass-produced product that is symbolic of the stereotypes first commented on by Tseng in “East Meets West.”
T-shirts available for sale include a choice of one of eight photographs, selected for their popularity on Tseng’s website, from his “East Meets West” series:
1. Tseng Kwong Chi, “Washington, D.C.,” 1982
2. Tseng Kwong Chi, “San Francisco, California,” 1979
3. Tseng Kwong Chi, “Disneyland, California,” 1979
4. Tseng Kwong Chi, “New York, New York,” 1979
5. Tseng Kwong Chi, “Provincetown, Massachusetts,” 1979
6. Tseng Kwong Chi, “Pisa, Italy,” 1989
7. Tseng Kwong Chi, “London,” England (Two Bobbies), 1983
8. Tseng Kwong Chi, “New York, New York,” 1979
[1] Muna Tseng, interviewed by Jayne Cole at Tseng Kwong Chi Estate, March 21, 2019
