Toxic Babies, Photographs by Alex Darocy

For Alex Darocy's third show at Caffe Pergolesi this year, he will be presenting photographs from his new series Toxic Babies. As usual, the prints are all made by Alex in the dark room, and they range in size from fifteen by fifteen to 30 by 30 inches.

Today in America, everything is made with convenience in mind. In this country the necessities of life are all mass produced for us, and are then mass marketed around the clock. Seizing on the need people have to save time in this busy world, American corporations have developed a lucrative convenience industry. This industry has seized control of American child rearing on all levels. From convenient babies (a la fertility drugs), to convenient baby care (a la baby formula), to convenient food, the product addicted parent then forces their own addiction onto their child in a near helpless cycle of corporate enslavement. In the case of the baby formula/bottle industry, corporations have people so snookered that they never even allow their children to sample the free, natural form of food a mother has built into her (breast milk). The widespread societal result is that legions of neglected American Toxic Babies have been created.

Toxic Babies is a scary but humorous look at America's foibles. Alex likes to use humor to explore the negative side of life as a way of saying we are all humans, we all make mistakes, and if we can laugh at our own ridiculous behavior, as opposed to wallowing in it, accomplishing the correction of that behavior will be much more likely. These big, bright, humorous photographs draw people into thinking about topics they may not normally think about.

The faces of Alex's Toxic Babies are the faces of the various toy babies he found in and around the Santa Cruz area's stores. As he usually do with his toy photography, Alex pairs combinations of toys in a temporary assemblage and then photographs them to reveal the psychological biases and political predispositions of the toy makers and their own corporate influences. It's also a great excuse for him to play with toys.

To Alex, Caffe Pergolesi is one of the most exciting art venues in Santa Cruz County. In any given month a person has the opportunity to see the art work of four different artists at the Caffe, and it is always a surprise as to what the experience will be like. A wide variety of artistic mediums are represented, as well as styles and themes. From the work of college students and emerging local artists, to the work of more established talents, the range in artistic voices is endless and unpredictable, representing the widest range of voices this county has to offer. This is truly art of and for the people. Their policy is not restrict the type of content that is allowed at the Caffe, which gives the artist complete artistic freedom to make whatever statement they like. This is a major benefit to the community at large.

Alex's photos will be in the Blue Room at Caffe Pergolesi from September 2 to 29.

Caffe Pergolesi is open from 7am to 11pm every day and is located at 418 Cedar St in Santa Cruz. Their phone is 831-426-1775 and their website is http://theperg.com/

For more information about Alex Darocy and his photography, see http://alexdarocy.com