UnConventional SERGE GAY JR. NEW SOLO SHOW FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2025 sergegayjr.com / sergeshop.com / @sergegayjr About the Exhibition Unconventional is a label applied to something perceived to be outside a set of expectations, which a group often establishes as a means of control or as a result of unchecked groupthink. When conventional, one-track, status quo, or even retrograde thinking dominates society, it cannot move forward with time and evolve to address changing circumstances. Regardless of whether it is about beauty standards, professional expectations, family, or any combination of other life choices, society needs unconventional individuals with the willpower, skill, and confidence to embody new ideas and invent novel ways of doing things; bespoke organic variety, not clone-like copies. This idea even influences our genes and their expression —unconventional variations produce winning designs for a changing environment’s choosing. The best possible version of anyone is an unbridled expression of their unique, impossibly unconventional self. To be unconventional, one needs to act, dress, speak, or otherwise exist as they choose while seeking out and embracing a life aligned with their innate purpose, even if that brings them outside the bounds of cultural expectations. Through these perspectives, we can see that it is more than okay to think and be different; it is fundamental for thoroughly learning about and better understanding anyone, including and especially oneself. Throughout history, including today, the pressure to conform has often been so overwhelming that it has kept our most unconventional selves indoors and out of the spotlight due to genuine, intentionally cultivated fear. The surrealistic imagery in UnConventional highlights scenes and characters expressing their most complete and authentic lives freely, visibly, and defiantly. Serge uses imagery like mirrors, windows, and doors to lead us through stories about freedom, self-reflection on personal truths, seeing outside into a separate, sometimes welcoming, often othering world, and the transitional thresholds between people, places, and perspectives. The show’s format primarily features canvas paintings along with three-dimensional elements. The color medium is acrylic paint, with a core palette of red and blue, accented with orange and yellow. These colors are mindfully integrated throughout the show to create cohesion and highlight thematic aspects among the pieces, including the migrant experience, the power of ownership, individuality, and freedom of expression.