Contemporary Calgary Presents Silent Spikes: Kenneth Tam’s exploration of Cowboys, Labour and Masculinity in North America
Kenneth Tam. Silent Spikes (still), 2021.
Contemporary Calgary Presents Silent Spikes: Kenneth Tam’s exploration of Cowboys, Labour and Masculinity in North America
Calgary, Alta (July 16, 2025) — Contemporary Calgary (701, 11 Street S.W.) is pleased to announce the Canadian preview of Silent Spikes, a solo exhibition by artist Kenneth Tam. Opening July 17 and running through November 16, 2025, this two-channel video installation, now accompanied by a series of photographs, examines the complex histories and cultural narratives surrounding masculinity, race and labour. Media are invited to attend the exhibition opening on July 17 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Contemporary Calgary (701, 11 Street S.W.). Artist Kenneth Tam and curator Kanika Anand will be in attendance. The Senior Curator of Contemporary Calgary, Kanika Anand, and the artist, Kenneth Tam, are also available for interviews by appointment at Contemporary Calgary. Please RSVP to nikita@parkerpr.ca. Images can be viewed here.
“Silent Spikes grew out of a desire to explore several themes and narrative threads that don’t have obvious intersections—sensuality expressed through physical movement, the history of Chinese migrant labour and performances of masculinity. I’m not interested in resolving these ideas within the work; rather, the two-channel format highlights moments of incongruity and unfamiliarity within this layered approach. I hope viewers connect with the vulnerability, unexpected tenderness and even awkwardness expressed by the participants,” says Kenneth Tam.
Originally commissioned by the Queens Museum in 2021, Silent Spikes centers on the figure of the cowboy—a symbol of rugged individualism and white masculinity deeply embedded in North American culture. Tam explores how this archetype has been performed and idealized, questioning where Asian men fit within this dominant narrative. His work invites reflection on how tenderness and care can challenge and expand traditional ideas of masculinity.
A key element of the exhibition highlights the important but often overlooked role of Chinese labourers in building the Central Pacific Railway in the United States and the Pacific Railway in Canada. The video references the 1867 strike by Chinese workers in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, one of the largest labour actions in U.S. history. Filmed in abandoned railway tunnels—empty spaces carved into the landscape—the work evokes themes of memory, absence and endurance.
Tam collaborated with a group of untrained Asian American men, who wear cowboy attire and take part in unscripted performances blending roleplay and personal expression. Their gestures and movements create a thoughtful portrait of masculinity shaped by vulnerability, collaboration and care.
Kanika Anand, Senior Curator at Contemporary Calgary, adds, “Timed to follow Calgary’s Stampede, Silent Spikes engages with the ethos of a city known as ‘Cow Town,’ where the cowboy image—shaped by rodeo culture and Western iconography—continues to connect frontier traditions with contemporary urban identity. Rooted in this cultural landscape, Tam’s work gently unsettles the familiar cowboy figure and draws attention to the often overlooked histories of Chinese migrant labourers who built the railroads connecting the country. Against this backdrop, the exhibition offers a timely meditation on masculinity, memory, and the stories that shape our collective identity.”
Daily guided tours are available and included in the cost of admission. To book interviews and view the artwork, please email nikita@parkerpr.ca
Learn more about Silent Spikes: https://www.contemporarycalgary.com/whats-on/kenneth-tam-silent-spikes