The last thirty years of the millennium have seen a rise in cults and other weirdo activity. Could it be that television is part of the problem? Television and media influence the behavior of millions, both directly and subtlely, granting instant (albeit short-lived) celebrity to a handful of people whom it makes powerful. “High Priests and Maniacs: The Media and Spiritual Mania” examines media and pop culture through three short experimental works and two documentaries.

Curator Bio: Maria Troy is currently Associate Curator of Media Art at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, OH where she runs the Art & Technology residency program. She also curated the compilation I Say I Am: Early Feminist Performance Videos for the Video Data Bank. She has written on video and visual art for Afterimage, New Art Examiner and P-Form Magazine.

Featured Artists panOptic, New York; Cane Capo Volto, Italy; Animal Charm, Chicago; Sam Green, San Francisco; TVTV (Top Value Television), San Francisco