When the SF MOMA asked Gabriele Basilico to “photograph Silicon Valley as he saw it,” Basilico didn’t capture the hustle-and-bustle of the everyday life; rather, Basilico invites viewers to step back from the city-center and take a look at the city’s edges, the seemingly insignificant aspects of city life. What visitors to the MOMA experience is a new perspective on familiar images of San Francisco and the Bay Area.

In the space of three rooms, Basilico adorns the walls with pictures that need no captions. He begins with shots of San Francisco taken from a speedy car on the freeway. This is the only glimpse visitors get of the fast-paced life of the city. Throughout the rest of the exhibit, images of parks, homes, stores, freeways, and a ballpark work to slow time down. Basilico captures the rural elements of the fringes of a big city. Life is seen as quiet, serene. The exhibit itself seems calm as people walk slowly, whispering, respecting the environment.

This exhibit does not glamorize the Bay Area, something that’s been done over and over again. Instead, Basilico brings a fresh, serene perspective of the Bay Area to the walls of the MOMA. This is a wonderful exhibit for San Francisco-Area natives, or those who want to see the Bay Area as it really is beyond the glitz and flash of the urban downtown environment. Running through June 15, this is a must-see for all those who want to experience a new shade of San Francisco life.