Athens, already well-known for its own diverse culture, is getting a small taste of the culture of Venezuela. Artists Carlos Solis and Stanley Bermudez are presenting the Surrealist Tropical Pop Exhibit at the Lyndon House Arts Center.

The exhibit features selections of their paintings along with mixed media works – that is, works that combine different medium or materials such as acrylic paint, plaster and oils.

The exhibit began Aug. 30 and will run until Oct. 31.

Both Bermudez and Solis work to grab the attention of onlookers, but in distinct ways: Solis places a strong emphasis on surrealism, while Bermudez operates mostly in the realm of pop art.

The title of the exhibition itself, thought up in a joint effort by Solis and Bermudez, reflects the two men’s dual approach to art.

“Carlos['s artwork] is the surrealist part and mine is the pop part,” Bermudez said. “And we’re both from Venezuela, so that’s the tropical part.”

Of course, these two methods of creating art require a different approach not only from the artist’s perspective but from the onlooker’s.

“Surrealism is not for everybody,” Solis said. “It’s something you have to really analyze.”

Despite demanding concentration and analytical thinking from the viewer, Solis’ dreamlike artwork touches on decidedly universal themes at its core.

“I am bringing a little bit of everything – something romantic, something political, and some with spiritual messages,” he said.

On the other hand, Bermudez, an Athens native, describes his work as very colorful pop art. Some of his paintings directly concern the oil industry, the field in which his father works.

Other selections include images of his father working in the fields in Venezuela as well as straightforward portraits of people who have captured his attention, such as his wife and President Barack Obama.

“To me, it’s obvious that I have been influenced by pop artists, like Andy Warhol,” Bermudez said. “But the colors that I use are very vivid and those colors come from my [Venezuelan] culture.”

The two artists, who have organized a few shows together in the past, find common ground in their unified outlook on painting: Both compare it to escaping into another world.

“When I am sitting there painting, it’s like a form of meditation,” Bermudez said. “I kind of lose track of time and really get into what I am doing.”

“When I start painting, its like being in heaven, basically,” Solis said.

“You feel something different – you feel fine and you feel good.”

Bermudez, who currently resides in Athens and teaches Art Appreciation at the University, generally believes that his audiences are attracted to the colors.

He recalls a special moment when a woman approached him regarding one of his paintings of an American and Mexican flag fused together.

“She came up to me almost in tears. … [S]he thought the images really represented her because she had a dual identity,” Bermudez said. “She identified with that image.”

Both Solis’ and Bermudez’s ultimate hope is that, by way of this exhibit, people can identify with their works and learn to appreciate the colors and symbolism contained within them.