Film
Surveying Transgender History in Film and Television
The documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, now streaming on Netflix, focuses too much on representation, to the detriment of other aspects of the trans experience in cinema.
Reviews
Film
Snapshots of Gay Culture and History in Pornography
Elizabeth Purchell’s collage film Ask Any Buddy stitches together 100 adult films from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, illuminating aspects of everyday life amid the sex.
Art
When Fire Becomes Another Word for Revolution
At the Palais de Tokyo, Our World is Burning allows 30 artists to express the dream and necessity of a sustainable future in an egalitarian world.
Film
Looking Back at Philadelphia’s Notoriously Racist Mayor Frank Rizzo
Recent protests have finally ousted longstanding local monuments to Rizzo. The 1978 documentary Amateur Night at City Hall draws out a history of resistance to his brand of white authoritarianism.
Books
Alice Trumbull Mason, a Pioneer of Abstraction, Makes a Triumphant Return
Emily Mason remembers her mother saying, “I’ll be famous when I’m dead.” Though fame may not be quite secured (yet), the artist’s first-ever monograph acts as bulwark against forgetting her legacy.
Books
On the Figurative Road
Alice Notley's book-length poem charts the journey during which we assess the value of words and their historical contexts.
Art
A Digital Archive Mines the Depth of Design
The digital Letterform Archive has made nearly 1,500 objects accessible to browse online through over 9,000 high-resolution images.
Books
Van Gogh and the Books He Loved
To Vincent, books were calls to action, lessons in life.
Film
What Actually Happened When Trump Staged a Bible Photo Op
The Washington Post has created a video timeline of the police attack on protesters in Washington, D.C. on June 1.
Film
How Hilma af Klint Was Written Out of History
The new documentary Beyond the Visible is more of a detective story than a straightforward biography, investigating the erasure of an important figure in abstract art.
Film
The Shortcomings of Netflix's Documentary House Style
The streaming giant is increasingly relying on explainer-type series like Explained and History 101, but their supposed objectivity masks worrying biases.
Art
Tender Pencil and Ink Drawings Pay Tribute to Nursing Home Residents
Michelangelo Lovelace made numerous drawings during his time as a nurse's aide, now on view in Fort Gansevoort's online show Nightshift.