San Francisco | Huck
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San Francisco

The suave style and subtle codes of gay San Francisco in the ’70s

Seminal Works — Hal Fischer’s new photobook explores the photographer’s archive, in which he documented the street fashion and culture of the city post-Gay Liberation, and pre-AIDS pandemic.

  • Culture
  • Miss Rosen
Man in white shirt and beige trousers standing on promenade beside large grey sculpture, with buildings and blue sky behind.

Brick rattling memories of San Francisco’s skateboarding golden age

EPICENTER — In the early ’90s, the city’s scene revolved around the Embarcadero Plaza, or EMB as it was lovingly known. Now, with the area facing redevelopment, a new book by Jacob Rosenberg immortalises its heyday.

  • Sport
  • Isaac Muk
Four persons - three women and one man - posing outdoors. The women are wearing elaborate clothing and jewellery.

Nostalgic photos of everyday life in ’70s San Francisco

A Fearless Eye — Having moved to the Bay Area in 1969, Barbara Ramos spent days wandering its streets, photographing its landscape and characters. In the process she captured a city in flux, as its burgeoning countercultural youth movement crossed with longtime residents.

  • Culture
  • Miss Rosen

Surreal Halloween portraits from 1970s San Francisco

Unhinged and otherworldly portraits of All Hallows Eve almost half a century ago form the basis of photographer Ken Werner’s new book ‘Halloween: A Fantasy in Three Acts’.

  • Photography
  • Isaac Muk

Exploring Irving Penn’s subversive approach to photography

A new exhibition showcases the artist’s revolutionary seven-decade career, including groundbreaking series “The Incredibles”.

  • Photography
  • Miss Rosen

Memories of San Francisco’s 1990s radical lesbian scene

In her new photo book ‘ Renegades, San Francisco: The 1990s’ Chloe Sherman documents queer resistance and joy.

  • Photography
  • Isaac Muk

Chronicling lesbian life in San Francisco in the ’90s

Photographer Phyllis Christopher recalls capturing sex and protest at a time when the city had become a haven for the queer community.

  • Photography
  • Eva Clifford

Capturing queerness in San Francisco’s lowrider scene

A collaborative art project celebrating LGBTQ+ identity is calling for greater diversity and inclusion in the Bay Area’s lowrider community.

  • Photography
  • Miss Rosen

Evocative photos of San Francisco’s vibrant streets

Shadow play — Photographer Yoshi Yubai discusses his new book, a collection of almost 200 gritty black and white street photographs that capture the spectrum of life in the Californian city.

  • Culture
  • Miss Rosen

Voting among the dead at a San Francisco's mausoleum

A grave moment — Last week, San Francisco residents cast their ballots in a most unusual location. Huck spoke to some of them to find out why this year was a moment to vote as if your life depended on it.

  • Activism
  • Jennifer Stavros

How AIDS activists used art to fight a pandemic

Ready for a revolution — ‘Society had turned its back on us, which added to our creative flow and ability to live freely. It’s easy to tell the world to go fuck itself when you’re dying.’

  • Activism
  • Miss Rosen

The Cockettes: San Fran’s legendary sex anarchists

Acid drag revolution — From 1969 to 1972, the acid-fueled performance troupe – which included underground icons like Divine and Sylvester – took radical gender politics to a wider audience.

  • Photography
  • Miss Rosen

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