75 Reasons to Live: Lynn Hershman Leeson on Tina Modotti’s Convent of Tepotzolán, Mexico

Artist and filmmaker Lynn Hershman Leeson uses Tina Modotti's Convent of Tepotzolán, Mexico (1924) as an occasion to talk about this radical photographer's life “shrouded in political conviction, struggle, glamor, and mystery.“ She notes Modotti's San Francisco connections and reads from the artist's writing: “I cannot solve the problem of life by losing myself in the problem of art.“Remember the end of Manhattan, when Woody Allen asks himself what makes life worth living? In January 2010, during SFMOMA's three-day 75th anniversary celebration, 75 people from the Bay Area creative community gave extremely short talks — 7.5 minutes or less! — on a single collection work of their choosing. Someone called it “manic splendor“ — and it was. You can view all of the talks on The Anniversary Show exhibition page. Or look for them here, on Open Space.