Wenyen Agatha Lo

I have always had an attraction to monsters and all things fantastical since my youth. When I was a kid, I did not want to be the knight that fought the dragon, I wanted to be the dragon. I think what drew me to monsters was that I saw myself in them. I have high-functioning autism and ADHD, which is something I did not learn until high school. I spent a lot of my life struggling with human interactions and picking up social cues. This continued even after I was diagnosed. Monsters have flaws and quirks, things that make them feared or revered and they are rarely perfect. However, those imperfections and abnormalities are what draws me to them, what makes me love them, and perhaps most particularly, what allows me to identify with them. When I was young, it was comforting to associate my flaws with a dragon that breathes fire and hoards treasure or a Tengu that flies and plays tricks on people. Monsters reflect my frustration, struggle, sensitivity, vexation, and desire to love myself for who I am. In my installation, I am hoping to manifest those monsters in my mind. These flawed and imperfect creatures are my means to show the viewer a different world.