The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery at Cuesta College presents Web of Love, a solo exhibition by interdisciplinary artist Samantha Nye. The exhibition runs through March 13 and features an immersive, participatory video installation that examines intimacy, desire and systems of care through video, sculpture and performance.
A recent recipient of major awards from the Guggenheim Foundation and Creative Capital, Nye brings a richly layered practice to Web of Love. The exhibition centers on a near shot-by-shot remake of the 1966 Scopitone film of the same title, with Scopitone films being early precursors to contemporary music videos, originally viewed in 1960s and 1970s nightclubs on machines that combined jukeboxes and television screens. Nye’s adaptation stars celebrated artist-activists and Guggenheim Fellows Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens, with music by Erin Markey. It was filmed on location in San Luis Obispo at the Madonna Inn, Sycamore Springs, and in a custom-built, faux heart-shaped hot tub suite inspired by 1970s romance resorts.
Carpeted wall-to-wall in lipstick-red shag, the exhibition features an interactive sculptural lounge embedded with four pink, heart-shaped hot tubs sourced from the iconic (and now defunct) Poconos Palace Honeymoon Resort. The installation invites visitors to recline inside the work and experience the four-channel video alongside a series of video sculptures.
“Blending nostalgia, intimacy and humor, Web of Love invites audiences to consider how desire, care and fantasy are shaped by architecture, media and shared social space,” said Nye.
According to Miossi Art Gallery Coordinator Tim Stark, the program blends together contemporary art practices that explore intimacy, ecology and community, examining how care and resilience emerge in response to a changing world.