Category Archives: books

“The Hereditary Estate” by Daniel W. Coburn, for Art Practical

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Larissa Archer

Along the road as I walked, thinking about the mysteries of Easter, veils—seemed to drop off my eyes! Light, oh light! I have never seen such brilliance! It pricked my eyeballs like needles!…yes, yes, light. You know, you know we … Continue reading →

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“Anonymization”: How Urban Sprawl Created a Homogenous and Hostile World, for Hyperallergic.

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Larissa Archer

LOS ANGELES — The list of ways the US has negatively influenced the rest of the world is long and shameful: unnecessary, interminable wars, nutritionally inane fast-food chains, a habit of wasteful consumption based on instant obsolescence. The list goes … Continue reading →

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I Modeled for Todd Hido

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Larissa Archer

A woman clasps her hand to her mouth. Visible in her eyes could be fear, horror, grief, or even just acute worry. The image described is not the one above, but one similar sent to me by a friend, who … Continue reading →

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The Sibling Rivalry that Shaped Arbus’s Vision: Alexander Nemerov’s Silent Dialogues, in Hyperallergic.

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Larissa Archer

“The camera … may want to know, to develop, to expose, but what it can also do, if pressed, is reveal the flowered vacancy of the invisibilities, the mixed-up motivations, that only a wise author could portray.” — Alexander Nemerov, Silent Dialogues In Silent Dialogues, art historian … Continue reading →

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Mapplethorpe’s Other Man: On Philip Gefter’s Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe, for Hyperallergic

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Larissa Archer

In Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe, Philip Gefter’s new biography of collector, curator, and market force Sam Wagstaff, the author argues that it was not only his subject’s life that was transformed by his relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. Before Mapplethorpe, Gefter writes, photography … Continue reading →

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Alonzo King Lines Ballet Moves from Stage to Page

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Larissa Archer

The cliché about ballet dancers is that they are “light on their feet,” that they “float” and “soar” across the stage. I’ve always felt the opposite to be more interesting: nobody reveals a more solid connection to the ground. Even … Continue reading →

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I talked with Lysley Tenorio, author of (fab!) “Monstress,” for Zyzzyva

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Larissa Archer

monstress Continue reading →

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Alain de Botton’s “Religion for Atheists”: Zyzzyva

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Larissa Archer

Atheists and agnostics often dismiss religion’s tenets and rituals as being fashioned to exploit the human need for such things. Our fear of death is assuaged by the promise of an afterlife. Our despair in the face of injustices that … Continue reading →

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Jonah Raskin writes about pot; I write about him for SF Weekly.

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Larissa Archer

  “If baseball is the opiate of the masses, why aren’t opiates given to the masses?” This was possibly the most cogent question posed to Jonah Raskin on Thursday at Canessa Gallery after he read from his new book, Marijuanaland: Dispatches from an … Continue reading →

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S*** got real at Cabaret Bastille

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Larissa Archer

Last night’s Litquake event, Cabaret Bastille at Cellspace, was almost a smashing good time. I admit I am disproportionately delighted by parties with costume themes, and there were some glorious vintage and vintage-inspired get-ups. Yvonne Michelle Cordoba (and friend?) performed … Continue reading →

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