Unless you knew Tseng Kwong-chi, a Hong Kong-born photographer and performance artist, you could be forgiven for believing he was an official ambassador for China. Decked out in a classic Mao Zedong suit and sporting small sunglasses and an identity card officiously clipped to his jacket pocket, Tseng travelled the world in the name of art, photographing himself at famous tourist sites such as the Statue of Liberty in New York and Checkpoint Charlie in the former East Berlin for his Expeditionary Series, which is also known as East Meets West. He gatecrashed society parties dressed as his alter ego, stopping the rich and famous as they arrived at soirees to take his photograph with them. Renowned French designer Yves Saint Laurent (who once complimented Tseng on his excellent French and asked if he'd served in the Chinese Embassy in Paris), former United States secretary of state Henry Kissinger and the denizens of New York society all came under his spell. So convincing was Tseng as the 'accidental ambassador' (the persona was hurriedly conceived when he needed to wear a suit to upmarket restaurant Windows On The World in the World Trade Centre), they unwittingly posed for his humorous, witty artworks. 'There is a lot of humour and irony in his work,' says Tseng's sister Muna, a choreographer in New York. 'He was a person who lived so deeply and intensely. He realised the suit gave him an entree to a world where he became an official of sorts. I think it was a very calculated move - and very inspired and brilliant.' Unfortunately, Tseng died in 1990 from complications to Aids before being recognised in his hometown as an artist making waves around the world with his work. But this week, he will celebrate a homecoming of sorts, when Muna arrives in Hong Kong with her brother's works for his first exhibition in the city. 'It is the first time and I am very curious to see how Hongkongers respond to the work,' she says. 'I am sure he would have been pleased that his work is coming back.' Organisers of the Shanghai Biennale, to be held from September 29 to November 28, also have invited Tseng's estate to exhibit 10 of the artist's scenic photographs, marking the first time his work has been shown on the mainland. 'It will be very interesting,' says Muna. 'He is the father of this conceptual work ... and his work is known in China by the artistic community. But it will be interesting to see how they respond.' Born in 1950, Tseng and his family left Hong Kong in 1966 and moved to Vancouver, Canada. He later studied in Paris and then moved to New York in 1979, where he lived with Muna. He became an East Village personality, mixing with the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and subway artist Keith Haring, who was to become his best friend. Tseng was also Haring's official photographer, whose works, which included the Berlin Wall mural, now only exist in his friend's photographs. Despite his short career, Tseng made a lasting impact with his witty take on life through the lens - if any of his subjects bothered to look closely at his identity card, they would have noticed it had 'SlutforArt' stamped on it - and raised issues such as the nature of tourism and cultural identity. Tseng Kwong-chi: Ambiguous Ambassador runs from September 17 to October 6 at the Hanart TZ Gallery (202 Henley Building, 5 Queen's Road Central, tel: 2891 9128).
