True to my cool lazy self, I went to see the Jeff Wall exhibit right before it left our fair city (last day was January 27). This was my favorite photo, I bought as a postcard of it


A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai), 1993

What an amazing show, in no small part thanks to the way the pics are displayed, on huge backlit panels (lightbox). It's simple enough but so bright and crisp, you'd think you're staring at a 200 inch lcd screen. I certainly gained a new appreciation for staging or what Wall would call cinematography. Peep the dedicated site at moma.org/exhibitions/2007/jeffwall that is all kinds of wonderful (more favorites: Milk, Restoration)


There's actually a whole lot of photography at SF MOMA right now

An-my Lê recreated many scenes from the Vietnam War and the more topical conflict in the Middle East


Sniper II, 1999-2002

Very impressive. I will try to stop hating on black-and-white


Gabriele Basilico has more b&w goodness. He was commissioned by the museum last year to capture something very dear to me: the Bay Area. His pictures almost devoid of people are eerie, it's a unique look and yet I recognized a lot of the locations. Silicon Valley is a great subject but who knew about Alviso or Mountain View. Someone might get his book as a gift



Btw, I think my shot of 280 two years ago ain't bad. I need some uwa action like James


Two more mentions: the pretty cool series of the Brown Sisters over time (heads up Mark @ sf metblogs), and these two class pictures (tiny) by a Japanese photographer (b. 1977, shoulda written down her name) where she appears as the teacher and each student.. major creepshow


Last but not least, you gosta see "Take Your Time" by Olafur Eliasson on the 4th floor, a lot of strange spacial stuff but some of it excellent




Eliasson is set to make some grand waterfalls installations for NYC this summer

There is no photography at the museum and I didn't feel like gettin yelled at so major big ups to WHAT IM SEEING (I took some lame shot-unders of the one way colour tunnel)


I also took this video of the entrance

swinging fan


$7 (bring your student id)

SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 3rd St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 357-4000
sfmoma.org