Faces, on exhibit at the Zoller Gallery, blends photography with performance art to tackle themes of cultural homogeneity and identity in what the artist said he hopes spurs controversy.

The exhibit, created by Penn State graduate student Mitch Kern, features 20 photographic portraits of people who are nude from the shoulders up and smeared with white paint. The subjects, who are all local, represent a cross section of ages and races.

In addition to these photographs, one frame holds a mirror with a corked bottle of white paint resting on the shelf below it. In the center of the gallery, water mixed with the white paint empties into a claw-foot bathtub. The mirror, paint and bathtub were more than props for some. Gina Wenger, a graduate student, painted her face white and used the running water to wash her hands clean. "We're supposed to interact with it. I think that was what he was encouraging."

"I felt what he was trying to convey was that we all have this white mask we put on. Either we accept it or we don't," she said. In a mock news article available at the gallery, Kern wrote, "The exhibit has been hailed as a poignant commentary on the culture of Whiteness pervasive among students and faculty." The artist hopes these quarter-sheets of paper will generate interest in the exhibit.

"It's supposed to be kind of humorous," he said. "It's a strategy to get people to digest some of these ideas. There are very few white males willing to put these ideas out there."

Motivated by the works of Kant, Hegel, Marx and Freud, Kern decided to address the intolerance he sees at Penn State, which he refers to as racism, sexism, classism and cultural elitism.

"I realized, if identity is social, and there's such a thing as racism in the world. We choose to keep it alive," he said. "It's an artificial construction; it's not like it's human nature." Though Kern said he is no expert, he would like to see a change on the Penn State campus.

"A lot of people like things the way they are and it's borderline sexist, racist," he said. Most of the subjects photographed were present for the opening reception last weekend, along with 150 others, the artist said. Faces will be on display in Zoller Gallery through Sunday.