Collection Online
Search the Collection 搜索M+藏品
M+, Hong Kong, © Su-Chen Hung
On View
Mediatheque
Su-Chen Hung 洪素珍
East/West 東／West
1984/1987
Su-Chen Hung’s East/West opens with a title credit with the word ‘East’ written in Chinese and ‘West’ in English. For the remainder of the work, we see a close-up, vertical split-screen of the artist’s mouth, echoing the layout of these two words. The left channel speaks Mandarin while the right speaks English. The two moving mouths rarely align because of how differently the languages are articulated. Over three-and-a-half minutes, it becomes clear that the conversation is an interview to apply for United States citizenship. The work draws on Hung’s own experience of becoming a US citizen, and her dual Taiwanese and American identity.
Loading