‘Overexaggeration of human emotion’ displayed Friday

Friends, family and art lovers gathered Friday night at the SoFA Gallery to celebrate the last showing of Bachelor of Fine Arts student Joel Hernandez’s photography as an IU student. \nHernandez’s love of photography began at the age of 5 when his father gave him an old 35 mm camera that he bought at a garage sale. \n“When my father first came to the United States, he used the camera to take portraits of people to make money,” Hernandez said. “He passed it on to me in an effort to spark my interest in photography.” \nHernandez’s family has been very supportive of his work throughout the years. In the collection shown Friday, the Hernandez family, as well as close friends, served as models for Hernandez, each one playing a “character” in his or her own portrait, all in a muted color scheme reminiscent of the 1960s. Olive green-, mustard yellow- and cream-colored frames matched the background wallpaper patterns, props and models’ outfits in the photos. Models’ expressions and poses in the photos ranged from a stoic woman smoking a cigarette to a woman screaming in pain, appearing to have just had a miscarriage.\n“I wanted the collection to have the feel of Mexican soap operas, an overexaggeration of reality and human emotion,” Hernandez said. “As you go from picture to picture, it’s like flipping the channel. Each picture represents its own character with their own story, none of which relates to the previous.” \nAdding to the “watching television” feel of the photo collection, Hernandez had a few tables filled with knickknacks below the photos. These made the gallery feel like a vintage-inspired living room with almost every piece being something Hernandez collected from his grandmother’s house. Some of the pieces even appeared in the photos, bringing a feeling of closure to the collection. \n“The way it’s displayed is weird but interesting,” said Dan Khokhar, a second-year IU law student. “The entire thing has this Latin vibe with characteristics of a thrift store. It’s just really interesting to look at as a whole.” \nThe small crowds at the SoFA Gallery were intrigued by the collection, many searching for Hernandez to ask him questions about his work or to let him know which photos were their favorites. But when Hernandez was asked which photo was his favorite, he would very proudly point out the one of his father dressed as a woman.\n“It just really draws interest, Hernandez said. “People will stop and talk about ‘the lady in the picture’ unaware that it’s really a male; it’s great.” \nHernandez’s strongest supporter Friday, Maria Hernandez, his mother, didn’t bombard him with questions or personal observations – instead she stood quietly by his side, occasionally whispering in his ear.\n“I’m so proud of Joel,” Maria Hernandez said. “To see him now, with so many people interested in his work, it’s just a wonderful way for him to finish the time he has spent here doing what he loves.”