In the time where remakes and reboots have cultural domination, nostalgia has become a played-out bit. However this January at the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art MFA Student Santos Nunez pleads it’s case. Heirlooms of Virtu was a show designed to confront nostalgia and the generational role it has within a family. Technology is a huge driving point for this exhibition. When we are first walking into the gallery, the viewer was greeted by a giant Gameboy with the written didactic. Along with a screen capturing the viewer’s movement from a smaller gameboy on the right. The branding and lighting create an environment away from the beige minimalism of the current era.
The largest installation titled ‘I Lost the Game’ is modeled after a game of pogs. The asphalt outside a childhood home has been recreated, complete with faux rocks to mimic pebbles. Large pogs are spread about. Instead of 90’s decals Nunez has replaced them with family portraits. The large pogs also feature slammer pogs featuring the classic 90’s ‘S’, famous among those born before 9/11. As well as an original design from Nunez. The title being a reference to a game played in elementary school classrooms, where you’d remind your friends of ‘the game’ where the only way to lose is to remember you’re playing in the first place. I enjoy this piece so much I forgive the artist for making me lose after a decades long streak.
Following the theme of scaled up toys, at the far end of the gallery there was the perfect end point to this show; a giant kaleidoscope. ‘Call It A Scope’ Created from glass, sheet metal, wood and cardboard Nunez uses a screen placed at the end to stream nostalgic clips that speak to his childhood. The shapes and colors speak to the simplicity of childhood entertainment. A simple tube with three mirrors create a world for the viewer that feels both ancient and modern.
Across from the great pog game are two video pieces projected. ‘Studio Practice’ and ‘Nightly’. ‘Studio Practice’ features a video of the artist in his studio, but he’s been keyed out and replaced by 8-bit pixels. Capturing the tension of creative living. Artists feel both inspired by and drained by their own creativity, often chasing a balance between the two that sometimes looks like staring at the wall for what feels like hours. ‘Nightly’ takes us out of the studio and into the home. While the artist is still obscured, the menial task being done late at night speaks to tension. When creativity or deadlines take your focus away, artists often have to make room in their lives elsewhere.
‘Projecting 2025’ confronts familial legacy. In this case the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Technology continues to evolve faster with every new generation. This piece features two pedestals with a 3D printed head atop each. One head has an adult’s head with a projector inside pointed at the child’s head across from it. As the projection plays on on the child’s head, the audience can enjoy the show going on inside of the pedestals. Inside we see the memes that define the generations of the heads. Meme culture might seem strange in the context of a gallery setting, but in this installation it feels right at home. Skibidi toilet might pop out and give a jump scare to some but Nyan Cat is presented on equal footing. Cute random images might vary, but their effect on us doesn’t.
This exhibition finds its footing by rooting nostalgia in real experiences. Where this year’s Super Bowl commercials tried to capitalize on the capitalistic side, Heirlooms of Virtu brings a level of wonder and care to those childhood experiences. I think ‘Call It a Scope’ thoroughly illustrates
this point. The practical effect of three mirrors creates a world beyond our own. Simply referencing the media of past generations to create an environment where the world seems so much smaller than it actually is. The dichotomy of new and old technology, like 3D printing and Gameboy color, doesn’t create tension. It follows a flow and elaborates on the passage of time.
While I admit I’m a generation behind in understanding Pogs, using it as a vehicle to discuss familial memory places it firmly in a child’s perspective. Where the internal politics of familial relations are minimized, even if only for a few hours. As an artist, the push and pull of studio time and “off” time chronicles a daily experience. The push to always be working while in the studio and the pull of what that dedication actually requires. In a greater context, this show shows the pull of the past, with its comforting experiences and the push of time forcing you to advance. If this show is looking for permission for nostalgia, permission granted.