For those who want to see imagery of mercy, look no further than the walls of LBJ.
A new art exhibit, “Mercy”, is now open from Feb. 26 to Mar. 26 located on the third floor of the LBJ student center next to room 3-14.1.
Amy Nicole Rubio, curator of the exhibit and studio ceramics, said about 30 students entered pieces under the theme of mercy and 16 pieces were chosen for the final display. 
“With every exhibition, I look forward to pushing the artist,” Rubio said. “I want to see how they can express themselves towards whatever exhibition is being put on. I want to see through the eyes of the artist.”
For Penelope Savannah, exhibit artist and communication design and studio art painting junior, mercy carries a political meaning. Her painting is a cartoonish illustration inspired by current events. Savannah said her painting expresses her feelings towards Donald Trump and her belief that as president he should have more mercy for his citizens.
“I decided to paint about what was relevant at the time, and that was Trump,” Savannah said. “I let my feelings out. It is basically my mind on a canvas of my feelings about Trump, the racism in our country and just the overall turmoil.”
Savannah said she heard about the exhibit through a friend who encouraged her to enter a piece, despite her apprehension to do so because of the political nature of her work.
“I was afraid of what was going to be said,” Savannah said. “But then I thought ‘If you don’t do it, then what was the point of creating the piece in the first place?’”
Leslie Osornio, painting and communication design sophomore, is another artist featured in the exhibit. Her piece was a call for mercy against sexual misconduct.
“I painted it for a project… called ‘What the F—,’” Osornio said. “I had been hearing about so many cases of sexual abuse and thought, ‘That is crazy, that is, ‘what the f—?’”
Osornio’s piece is a self-portrait of her in a bathtub, her body covered in handprints of paint. Her painting won best in show at the exhibit.
“The painting is a representation of all the hands that touch us and what happens as we go around living,” Orsornio said. “I don’t want it to look like a sexy picture of me in the bath. I wanted it to express that I was upset and for people to understand why I am upset about this.” 
The 16 pieces are on display in a hallway free for students to view and discover their peer’s interpretations of mercy.