Although born in Hong Kong, Tseng's parents moved the family to Canada when he was sixteen. He originally studied painting at Academie Julian, but switched to photography after one year. Tseng died of AIDS-related illness in 1990, and was survived by his companion of seven years, Robert-Kristoffer Haynes, who remains a resident of New York City and serves as Registrar at Paula Cooper Gallery. Tseng's work is in the public collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Tseng has been included in the Asian American Arts Centre's digital archive.
