An afternoon in San Francisco

I took the CalTrain into San Francisco today. When I arrived at the station I learened the train was free this weekend in celebration of their new "Baby Bullet" service. As a result the cars were packed. Children ran down the aisles screaming.

I had lunch with YuTa. She moved back to the city a week ago, after finding a job with a manga publisher. She had lived in New York for a couple of years, but it never took. We sat on an outdoor terrace overlooking the Yerba Buena Arts Center. The lawn was cordoned off, supposedly for a private function. A man performed on a makeshift stage, creating beats and culling samples from his body. Three people sat on the lawn before him.

After lunch I visited the SFMoMA, primarily for the Larry Sultan exhibition. The series "focuses on the San Fernando Valley, where he grew up, and addresses the use of ordinary homes as sets for pornographic films." By pulling back on the action, he is able both to comment on and re-represent the fantasies inherent in the adult film industry. Some creepier photographs incorporate reflected images or shadowy presences that reinforce the voyeuristic nature of pornography while others manage to capture intimate moments lost in the exhibitionist performances on film and video.

With time to spare I walked down Market street to the Civic Center to visit San Francisco's new Asian Art Museum. While the collection boasts some impressive pieces, the presentation leaves something to be desired. Or maybe I'm spoiled having visited the Shanghai Museum of Ancient Chinese art.

Links: Larry Sultan at SFMoMA, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Posted by eku at June 7, 2004 3:38 AM