Taunt

Ozark artists ‘taunt’ St. Louis “Taunt,” an exhibition featuring artists from the Ozarks, opened at the Mossa Center in St. Louis last Saturday.

“The idea behind ‘taunt’ is to bring together a body of work from outside the art scene in St. Louis,” said Ben Bunch, the show’s organizer. “Everyone is coming from the Ozarks, which isn’t generally thought of as a contemporary art center. Coming to St. Louis and putting on an exhibition is to show that there is work being made outside of urban centers.”

The show was organized, set up and sponsored by the artists with pieces being exhibited. The gallery space was donated by Rosemarie and Phillip Reum, owners of the Mossa Center.

“I’ve been friends with Phillip for about 10 years,” Bunch said. “Their family business is the Mossa Center, and the gallery is on the third floor. Since it isn’t managed like a normal gallery, they let artists come in and curate shows.”

Two artists in the show, Kyle Jeffries and Mikel Rosenthal, had links to SMS. Jeffries, who graduated from SMS in December 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography, displayed six of his works in “taunt.”

“My photographs are about the insecurity and fear we face as humans when confronted with our mortality,” Jeffries said. “The figures I photograph always appear in a black void. The figures are by themselves in nothingness and are confronted by objects.”

All of Jeffries’ photos involve a figure and an object. One untitled photo shows a woman’s face in profile, and her tongue is drawing close to a circular saw blade.

“The juxtaposition of figure and object always leads to a symbolic message,” Jeffries said.

Rosenthal, a senior, works with both film and digital photography, depending on what he is trying to accomplish with the finished product.

“I do the experimental digital photography and incorporate it into the graphic design work that I do,” Rosenthal said. “I started my artistic career in the motion picture side of film and it has given me some background knowledge about lighting, making [as opposed to taking] a picture, and understanding a frame in a sequence of action.”

Rosenthal focuses on composition and visual appeal with his work.

“The meaning behind my work is represented with my pen name. I have started using the alias “anapose” which is a word I created,” Rosenthal said. “The intended meaning of anapose is taking apart a structure and reassembling it to create a new structure.”

Jeffries feels that “taunt” is an excellent opportunity for lesser known artists to be shown with a varied array of work.

“For younger artists in school or just out, it can be daunting to find a public venue,” Jeffries said. “The breadth of vision is exciting. From my black and white photography to big painting, mixed media collage, video and installation, it’s representative of what you find young artists working in.”

Bunch emphasizes the range of work being shown in “taunt.”

“There is no sort of underlying ideology or content to the work,” Bunch said. “Each artist is bringing ideas and themes they have pursued personally with their work.”

“Taunt” will be running through April 5 at the Mossa Center. The Mossa Center is located at 1214 Washington Ave. in downtown St. Louis, and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information about “taunt,” send an email to meenween3@hotmail.com.