by Isabella Kazanecki
The Pritzker Center of Photography at the San Francisco MOMA is the largest
space permanently dedicated to the study, interpretation, and display of photography at any U.S. art mu-
seum. The center is proud to present these three notable photography shows, among others, this winter.
DAWOUD BEY: AN AMERICAN PROJECT From FEBRUARY 15TH TO MAY 25TH, 2020, SFMOMA will
exhibit nearly 80 works by photographer Dawoud Bey. Bey’s repertoire lies at the intersection of formal
skill and ethical imperative. His photos send a politically charged message while at the same time captur-
ing the viewer’s eye with smooth composition, elegance and style. Working across formats from street
photography to intimate portraits to single-channel video shots, Bey communicates his belief in the politi-
cal power of representation. Dawoud Bey is an artist whose choices have the unwavering ability to draw
us deeper into the work. For example, as a photographer distinguished by his 1970s Harlem based street
photography, Bey shot a series that showed the rapid gentrification of Harlem through his eyes. This is just
one example, in a body of work spanning 40 years, of Bey’s ability to capture the American experience. The
exhibition celebrates his work and asks that ever pressing question: What does it mean to be an American
photographer? Being the artist’s first full career retrospective in 25 years, this show is surely a must see.
ELAD LASSRY: ELAD LASSRY SFMOMA’s New to the Collection Gallery will present the conceptual
photography of Israeli-American artist, Elad Lassry from JANUARY 4TH TO MAY 20TH OF 2020. Lassry,
being an artist celebrated for his practices of experimentation and play, the show is slated to instigate and
intrigue viewers. From pretend fashion campaigns, to collage work with ball bearings and wires, Lassry’s
pictures disorient themes of representation and functionality. Museum goers can expect a refreshing
experimental approach to photography though the work doesn’t lean on simply being “different.” Lassry’s
strategic manipulation of the medium—at times veering towards sculpture—presents an opportunity to
think through and process how images circulate in contemporary culture.
THOUGHT PIECES: 1970S PHOTOGRAPHS BY LEW THOMAS, DONNA LEE-PHILLIPS AND HAL
FISCHER The infamous cohort of radical Bay Area photographers will be brought together once again
in SFMOMA’s exhibition Thought Pieces, from JANUARY 4TH TO AUGUST 9TH 2020. In the 1970s,
when the group was most active, they worked together, exhibited together, and wrote about each
other’s work. Thomas and Phillips are known to have founded NFS Press, which published landmark
conceptual photography throughout the 70's and 80's. The publication, focused on interrogating pho-
tography’s ability to shape our relationship to our built environments, a question notoriously way ahead
of its time. By holding this idea up to the light, these artists made space for a continuous inquisition of
how we produce images. For them, it was about representing their community, the Bay Area, in their
own way. Artists influenced by them have taken the idea around the world. Holding together such a
body of work is an exciting chance to reassess these artists’ legacy as well as the spirit of the Bay Area,
where SFMOMA calls home.
23