Description

——— THEMES ———

From platonic to romantic to robotic, LOVE.exe celebrates and interrogates all expressions of love, particularly as transformed by technology. We exchange love via wires and waves, creating new ways to connect and, inevitably, new vulnerabilities. The internet has unlocked authentic communities built on shared experiences and interpersonal discovery unlimited by location and demographics. However, when everything and everyone is available online and friends stay in touch via Instagram likes, the line between truly knowing someone versus just the concept of them blurs.

In addition to being a conduit, technology itself can be the object of desire. Fictional romance is more immersive than ever, and there’s a dating simulation game for every niche. The recent growth of artificial intelligence has been accompanied by a boom in artificial intimacy, with summonable chatbots who are so easy to love: a friend or partner who never argues or judges. Now that we can program an ideal companion, what will drive us to continue seeking connections beyond the screen?

LOVE.exe explores love and interconnection in our hyperconnected world. How do we form relationships in the digital age, and how is technology redefining our concepts of care?

LOVE.exe is a pop-up exhibition presented by the New Media Artspace of Baruch College. We invite artists to explore these themes and topics, and we are accepting proposals for artwork in progress or existing artworks that fall within the exhibition subjects. We encourage proposals that are inspired by these ideas or go beyond them. Selected works will be shown in a virtual pop-up exhibition.

——— TOPICS ———

All forms of love (romantic, platonic, self, etc)

Relationships with artificial intelligence and chatbots, AI companions

Loss of connection IRL, social isolation

Online communities and relationships

Social media

Curating your “perfect love”

Dating sims

Dating apps and swiping culture

Censorship and dark romance

Parasocial relationships

Love in a utopia

Radical care

——— MEDIUMS ———

For this exhibition, we are accepting new media art projects that span video, audio, Unity (WebGL), p5.js, 3D, network performances, photography, and more.

——— DEADLINES ———

Proposals must be submitted by June 2, 2025, 11:59 p.m. EST.

Final artworks must be submitted by July 7, 2025, 11:59 p.m. EST.