Two students have set forth to change the way their audience sees itself.
Artists Robert Rainey and Joseph Mougel will exhibit their works through May 9 at Jonson Gallery.
Rainey, a photographer, reproduced several iconic images like Manet's "Luncheon on the Grass" and Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" in his series "His*story."
Rainey uses two men in business suits as his models throughout the photos.
"I am interested in these timeless poses in the fact they are embedded in our minds and are often repeated in media," he said. "But where did they come from? Even the artworks I re-enact reference provocative events or previous events or previous paintings."
But Rainey said he wanted more from these pieces and more from his audience's reaction.
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He said his work is a challenge for the audience to think beyond what is the cultural norm.
"These are works that were provocative at the time. I'm literally bringing in that patriarchal hierarchy," he said. "What does it mean to see two white men in suits? Is it charged or not charged? That is the question. Is it provoking, or is it banal? We have provocative poses, but we are replacing it. We had a female, and now we have two men in suits. Is it provocative? To me, I consider them to be very banal, but some people don't."
Ultimately, Rainey said what the art represents is up to the viewer.
Human interaction is the concept behind Joseph Mougel's video exhibit, titled "In Character," he said.
In the exhibit, Mougel recorded the inner monologue of people he videotaped. Mougel said the viewer can hear what people are thinking and how they communicate that idea through their bodies.
"It kind of goes with the whole concept of human interaction," he said. "I don't know what prompts someone to laugh. Is it something that society tells them how to present themselves, or is this genuine?"
