Karimah Ashadu: Machine Boys

One of the riders turns to the lens, bares his teeth and growls at you. Karimah Ashadu told the Brooklyn Rail it "comes out of nowhere and punches you in the face". The film is shot from inside a crowd of okadas, the motorcycle taxis of Lagos, through kicked-up dust and engine roar.

Lagos banned okadas in 2022, citing crime and traffic violations. The drivers kept working, and on screen they describe the pressure from the authorities and the constant risk of injury or death. The museum's text says the film treats their masculine self-determination as both constructed and vulnerable. It won Ashadu the Venice Biennale's Silver Lion for a promising young artist in 2024.

This is a single video of 8 minutes 50 seconds in Gallery 186, included with museum admission. Venezia News called it "a work of powerful creative impact". Come for a short, loud portrait of men at work, and don't expect a room of objects.