On now at Arnhem Museum is an exhibit entitled ‘How Dare You Make Me Feel This Way’. This exhibit focuses on trans and queer joy from a lens of appreciation and gratitude, rather than the more common negative lens seen in the creative cultural world.
On display, there are pieces spanning across many different mediums, including analog photography, sculptures, and video installations all of which were contributed by 15 different international artists. The two rooms dedicated to the exhibit at the back of the museum are painted a vibrant pink with quotes from the artists pasted to every wall (in Dutch and English) providing insight into the artists thoughts of queer identity, joy, pain, and the arts.
One artist taking part is American painter and videographer, Samantha Nye. Her work is featured at the center of the second room of this exhibition and takes the form of a music video. This upbeat and vibrant video plays on a loop filling the dimly lit corner of the museum with the exciting sounds of a synthesizer and a raspy voice accompaniment. Nye utilizes video and music techniques popularized in the 60s to speak to the experiences of queer women, particularly those of the older generations.
To get more insight into this exhibit and this work, I spoke with Samantha on the phone from her home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
