Bright lines and explosive colors dance from within the frames, but the works tell a candid story of identity as the “Warhol Effect” exhibition at the JCC Weeks Gallery gets underway.

“This exhibition is more than just about art,” said Patricia Briggs, director of galleries and curator of exhibitions. “It is for people who are interested in culture and how it shapes our identity.”

Briggs explained that in his time and beyond, Andy Warhol pushed boundaries and centered his art on popular culture. This groundbreaking approach let viewers pose their own questions regarding identity, and had a profound effect on the art world.

“This exhibition shows that contemporary art has been shaped by Warhol,” Briggs said. “When he did this, Andy Warhol wasn’t necessarily saying, ‘I’m doing identity art,’ but when someone today looks at this, they can’t help but see it.”

She pointed out that the iconic “Marilyn” piece by Warhol mirrors the American woman’s desire for perfection and to achieve this socially accepted definition of beauty. Warhol began working on the series on Marilyn Monroe in the week after her death, Brigg explained.

“Marilyn Monroe is a packaged woman,” she said, adding that she was like a commodity to be bought. “We want her, want to be like her and so, we consume her.”

Warhol used photos from the media, including some of the most famous and entertaining sensations of their time and created profound statements, Briggs said.

“He knew how to see the icons of what we like,” she said. “They are kind of about spectacle, where the brand of American-ness is created.”

The other artists featured in the show are inspired by Warhol’s use of popular culture and bold colors. Reginald Baylor, a featured artist, utilizes both an array of dazzling color as well as popular images to create his artwork. Looking from “Lady Jane and Woman Marilyn” (based off a photo of Jane Russel and Marilyn Monroe) to “Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson as Mr. and Mrs. Pitch and Peach America,” viewers can see that Baylor reappropriated the photographs to showcase different identities and ideas, Briggs said.

“This is totally ‘Warhol Effect’,” she said, discussing the bold lines and bright colors. She explained that the technique is called “hard-edge painting”, which creates a graphic design effect. While the technique may be Warhol-esque, Briggs explained the subject matter is as well. “Baylor reprocesses this picture with black facial aesthetics, and he replays this image again and again.” Viewing the art show, visitors can see the image re-surface in “Lady Jane – Afro American Lady at Target.”

The exhibition also features photographer Xavier Tavera from Minneapolis. Tavera covers a wide range of culturally significant subjects, from luchadores to shaman. Born in Mexico, Tavera moved to Minneapolis in 1996 and felt his paradigm shift.

“In Mexico, he was part of the mainstream culture,” Briggs said. “Then, when he moved to Minneapolis, he learned what it felt like to become part of a subculture – the Latino subculture.”

Tavera began photographing luchadores as a reaction, showcasing a beloved Latino facet of life. Luchadores are Mexican wrestlers wearing brightly colored face masks. The masks interested Tavera as the masked men were both in the world and out of the world, exposed and hidden at the same time, Briggs explained. The photographer showed the wrestlers in their element as well as in their homes.

“He wanted to show them as people, so he showed them in their professional roles as well as at home,” she said. “This is an artist that is using a photo to represent his own marginalized culture.”

Mary Mazziotti reaches farther back in time for her reappropriated culture as far back as medieval times and the concept of “Memento Mori” or “Remember you have to die.”

In “A Day in the Life of Mrs. Death” 2013, Mazziotti juxtaposes the American 1950s’ family culture with “Memento Mori,” using a macabre skeleton as the mother figure.

“She makes death a woman,” Briggs said, adding that the scenes can be humorous but thought provoking at the same time. “This is a very vernacular popular style.”

The exhibition will continue on until March 24 in the Weeks Gallery. The public is also invited to view Briggs’ presentation, “Warhol’s Legacy From the 1970s to Present” on March 4 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Weeks Reception Hall. The Weeks Gallery and Weeks Reception Hall is located on the Jamestown JCC campus. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information about the “Warhol Effect,” events or the gallery, visit: weeksgallery.sunyjcc.edu.