Category Archives: damn good

Sophie Calle at Fraenkel Gallery

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Larissa Archer

In my early days as a theater student, when my teacher was tired of our careful, over-polished, actorish acting, he’d exhort us to show our “bathroom selves.” Your bathroom self is who you are before you apply your mask for … Continue reading →

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A Seashell Temple, A Glowflower Tree, and More Art Adventures at Burning Man, for Hyperallergic

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Larissa Archer

The playa is never silent; you adapt quickly to the spectrum of ceaseless noise, ranging from a low, distant hum with a faint pulse to a din with a beat that shakes the ground under you. The sounds of EDM, … Continue reading →

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J.M.W. Turner, the Sublime, and Me. For Hyperallergic

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Larissa Archer

   “You don’t experience the sublime looking through double glazing, or at a distant electric storm, or watching a sea rage on TV,” wrote AA Gill in The Golden Door: Letters to America. … and yet you can, when viewing a … Continue reading →

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Arnold Newman: Masterclass at the Contemporary Jewish Museum

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Larissa Archer

One of my favorite photography exhibits in San Francisco last year was the Contemporary Jewish Museum’s “Arnold Newman: Masterclass.” While some of the artist’s portraits have achieved iconic status (think of the composer Igor Stravinsky. The image you have in … Continue reading →

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Curation as a New Translation: Diane Arbus at Fraenkel Gallery, Huffington Post

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Larissa Archer

I am not cruel, only truthful— The eye of a little god, four-cornered. Mirror, Sylvia Plath Diane Arbus famously brought a dispassionate but probing voyeurism to the marginalized and pariah of our society. Her treatments of the denizens of the mainstream … Continue reading →

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I interviewed Ira Glass for SF Weekly

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Larissa Archer

Ira Glass, best known and adored as the creator and distinctive voice behind This American Life, is expanding his oeuvre. The long-running radio series now has six movies in production. The first is Sleepwalk with Me, based on comedian Mike Birbiglia’s autobiographical … Continue reading →

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My “Best of 2012” arts round-up, Art Practical

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Larissa Archer

As futile as it is to try to sum up the best arts events a cosmopolitan city like San Francisco offered in a year, especially with a mere 1200 word-count, I gave it a try for Art Practical. I settled … Continue reading →

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Photos from the San Francisco Modernism Show, SF Weekly

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Larissa Archer

A few times a year, a massive expo is held at the Concourse Exhibition Center, where you can get a hands-on, visually exhausting crash course in the near-past’s fabulousness. Last weekend saw the SF Modernism Show, a twice-yearly event featuring … Continue reading →

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My feet hurt so good after the Black and White Ball. SF Weekly

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Larissa Archer

I previewed the great San Francisco fête here: If it’s June and after dark, and you see women tottering around Civic Center in gowns with color palettes from silent films and their dates’ tuxedo jackets on their shoulders, you’ve probably wandered … Continue reading →

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I interviewed Dita von Teese for The Rumpus

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Larissa Archer

Dita von Teese, burlesque superstar, author, actress, costume and lingerie designer, and formidable businesswoman, is idolized by many who might not otherwise fancy themselves enthusiasts of burlesque, let alone openly admire a star of “adult entertainment.” She has revived both an … Continue reading →

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