Showing a culmination of three years of work, painter Ki Dong Kwon and sculptor Angela Cunningham will present their thesis exhibits at the Zoller Gallery from today to Saturday.

For the Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) candidates, this exhibit is the final step in their education at Penn State.

MFA candidates are responsible for setting their exhibits up entirely on their own, Zoller Gallery coordinator Michelle Tillander said.

"The students are responsible for everything, from the installation of the exhibit to the posters advertising it," she said. "It makes their show truly independent."

Though the exhibits are sharing a time and space, the works of the two artists are not connected in any way.

"It's like two little separate shows," Tillander said.

Kwon's exhibition, titled on the road, is a collection of his landscape paintings.

"My work tries to show the relationship between people and ordinary life," Kwon said.

Kwon said he wants people who visit the exhibit to think about the common moments in life.

"I attempt to examine the fragile nature of our conscious and to expose the paradoxical side of our daily routine," he said.

Tillander said the two artists' works are very different.

"Kwon's paintings are beautiful and very realistic, which is a great contrast with Angela's sculptures, which are more abstract," Tillander said.

Cunningham's sculptures combine organic images to emit the elements of seduction and desire in her exhibit, titled ripe, she said.

"I want people to be irresistibly seduced by my work," Cunningham said.

Cunningham said she wants the erotic elements of her work to evoke human empathy from viewers.

"Their work is very different," Tillander said.

"Art has many different languages, and these exhibits both speak differently and in different dimensions," she added.

Tillander said exhibiting the work of MFA students is a change from exhibiting the work of more seasoned artists.

"Their work is very exciting -- they're a lot more willing to take risks," Tillander said. "They're exploring their medium through their educational experience."

From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, there will be a closing reception at the gallery. The reception will give the public a chance to meet and speak with the artists, Tillander said.

As for what's next for the artists, Cunningham said she is unsure.

"It's hard to think beyond your thesis because it's so looming," she said.