Kenneth Tam's Exhibition The Medallion Addresses NYC Taxi Driver Crisis Through Sculpture and Video
Kenneth Tam's exhibition, titled The Medallion, is currently showcased at Bridget Donahue in New York. It features handblown glass replicas of car engine components from his 2025 series, It is no use to worry. These illuminated sculptures highlight the contrast between mechanical efficiency and human neglect, particularly referencing cooling systems. A two-channel documentary video, also named The Medallion, delves into the struggles of New York City's taxi medallion crisis through driver portraits. Additionally, eleven pieces with broken car parts rest on beaded seat-covers called 370,000 Recitations. Another video, Dissolved personal archive (2015–2024), is displayed on a dual-sided monitor. This exhibition addresses the 2021 hunger strike by taxi drivers advocating for debt relief and will be open until March 8, 2025.
Key facts
- Kenneth Tam's exhibition The Medallion is on view at Bridget Donahue in New York through March 8, 2025
- The exhibition includes handblown glass replicas of car engine parts from the series It is no use to worry (2025)
- A two-channel documentary video The Medallion (2025) explores the taxi driver crisis through intimate portraits
- Eleven additional pieces with broken car parts are displayed atop hundreds of beaded seat-covers covering the gallery floor
- Anxiety Clock embedded in the floor resembles a malfunctioning fare meter or bomb timer
- Dissolved personal archive (2015–2024) plays on a taxi-style monitor showing images where figures disintegrate
- The work references the 2021 15-day hunger strike by NYC taxi drivers demanding debt relief from medallion loans
- Since 2021, NYC has reportedly paid millions in relief averaging $230,000 for over 2,000 medallion holders
Entities
Artists
- Kenneth Tam
Institutions
- Bridget Donahue
- ArtReview
- New York Times
Locations
- New York
- United States