In My Taxi is a show consisting of 40 extraordinary photographs spanning four decades by American artist and taxicab driver Ryan Weideman. This dynamic traveling exhibition provides a firsthand view into the ripe period of cultural diversity that characterized New York City’s evolution between the 1980s and the turn of the century; a period when the city experienced enormous economic and social change. By photographing the spectrum of characters comprising this burgeoning period – from models to poets, drag queens to celebrities, business men to prostitutes, Ryan Weideman transformed his taxicab into a highly-functional artist studio. The mobile nature of his situation, the fact that he could immerse himself in the action, required the artist’s dexterity and certitude, allowing him to capture the spirit of the times in a fluid style all his own.
Working the 5 pm to 5 am night shift, his checkered taxi became the literal vehicle for documenting the rich night-life of New York City for over thirty years, spanning from the roaring 1980s, through the hip-hop and grunge of the 1990s, and well into the new millennium. Within these images, we witness time passing from years to decades – and while the passengers come and go, Weideman remains the one constant, always in the driver’s seat. He is the cameraman and integral co-star in this ongoing revolving theater.
Ryan Weideman, In My Taxi: 1980-2012
Ryan Weideman is represented by Bruce Silverstein Gallery
529 W 20th St
New York, NY 10011
USA
