New Works By Alex Pardee at GALLERY 1988 in LA

"HIDING FROM THE NORMALS"
A Celebration Of Rejects
New Works By Alex Pardee
GALLERY 1988 LA
7020 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA
www.nineteeneightyeight.com
Oct 6 @ 7PM

The theme of the show is:

"Throughout our history, every generation contains a large handful of children born, well...different. Over the years, these children have been plastered with inhumane labels by the "normal" citizens: Rejects. The Unwanted. Monsters. Freaks. Untrainable. Ghastly, and Ghoulish, to name a few. And in every generation, these children attempt to thrive, grow, and co-exist amongst the Normals. However, they're always met with such distaste, that many of these "Rejects" all appear to disappear by the time they're 10 years old. "Most likely", said Jon Higgus, an old carpenter back in the 1950's, "they die from a broken spirit. And good riddance, too."

Though the Rejects are chemically no different from the Normals, no one questions where they go. No one misses their company. No one even notices that they have vanished.

Well, they don't exactly die...or even vanish, for that matter.
They simply move out of the light. And out of the cruelty.

In every city, big or small, 100 yards beneath the cemetery, lies a small metropolis, shut off to the world of normality. A city that parallels the world above in many aspects. There are families. There are occupations. There is passion. There are quarrels. There are pets. There is creativity. There is love. And there is jealousy. But the one thing that doesn't exist in these underground worlds is judgement of appearance. For all of these "monsters" had found refuge in these secret worlds for the very same reason as one another. Their misshapen heads, abnormally hairy bodies, large eyes, snout-like noses, extra limbs, enormous skeletons, bad skin, and crippled joints were too much for a vain, appearance-obsessed world to handle with anything other than disgust. Sad, alone, and weak, the Rejects retreat to these oases to find friendship and purpose, un-judged by vanity. Here in these metropolises, they thrive, creating worlds and cities so beautiful that most Normals would weep at the sight of them. But not one Normal has ever seen one of these places. Most don't even know they exist.

Throughout the year, the Rejects live their own form of "normal" lives, night by night. But for one day a year, on October 31st, when the rest of the Normal world above is celebrating their arrogance by PRETENDING to dress up as something ugly, the Rejects ascend upon the world of the Normals, unnoticed by most, and come out to play, celebrating in their own ways....

Some rejoice.
Some observe.
Some dance.
Some laugh.
Some sing.
But some Rejects take out a little...frustration.

This Halloween, you may want to take a second look at the "costumed" person sitting next to you holding a knife and a pint of ale....

Happy Halloween.
Rejects, Rejoice."