Series Site
December 6–14, 2025
As chronicled in William Farley’s excellent documentary Plastic Man: The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish—the film that launches this spotlight series—the dynamic Bay Area artist has had a remarkable existence, and several brilliant careers. Overlapping with his successful decades-long work as a bail bondsman and before sculpture became his primary practice, Barrish studied film with the legendary George Kuchar at the San Francisco Arts Institute. In the 1980s, he made three feature-length narrative films that caught the attention of local and international film programmers and screened at film festivals and museums around the world. Depicting the lives and relationships of a cosmopolitan array of Bay Area artists, writers, performers, and professionals, these movies reflect the zeitgeist of the decade that followed the storied and colorful counterculture era. Filmed on location in Pacifica and San Francisco, the films also serve as remarkable documents of the architecture, interior design, and fashion of the era. Evocative of the films of Eric Rohmer in their themes and approach, these works share the unfussy intimacy and specificity of the French auteur, while being told from a distinctly American perspective. Inspired by BAMPFA’s recent acquisition of Barrish’s films, this series is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the inspiring accomplishments of one of the Bay Area's local treasures.
—Kate MacKay, Film Curator