BESTIARY
A Solo Exhibition by Thai Martin
Hundreds of monsters. One artist. One room in Taichung.
June 14 – July 12 · Lei Gallery, Taichung
Hundreds of monsters.
One artist. One room in Taichung.
Lei Gallery, Taichung
June 14 – July 12
What is a Bestiary?
A bestiary is a record of creatures: what they are, where they come from, what they mean.
This one is less curated than accrued. It spans ancient folklore and beloved fictional universes, daily art challenges and market stalls, a goblin whose world is still being built and a comic about finding yourself somewhere unexpected. The pieces were made under deadlines and without them, through constraints taken on specifically because the work needed a problem to solve.
The only unifying factor in this catalogue of creatures is the artist who gave them form.
This is a snapshot of an ever-growing bestiary.
The Opening
Despite being one of the rainiest afternoons we've had in Taichung this year, people showed up and it was great seeing people connect with the work and get excited about monsters.
Design Your Own Creature Collections!
The Creatures
More than a hundred monster designs spanning watercolor, ink, Copic marker, and digital illustration.
Drawn from mythology, fandom, original worlds, and the specific communities and cultures of life in Taiwan.
Follow the Bestiary
The exhibition was just a snapshot.
Sign up to follow what comes next: new creatures, behind the scenes from the show, and updates on the OctopusHive universe as it continues to grow.
Thai Martin
Thai Martin is a self-taught artist based in Taiwan whose work spans creature design, illustration, and visual product development. His creative practice, Octopus Hive, runs on the belief that creativity is not a talent but a system: built through daily practice, intentional constraints, and the refusal to wait for perfect conditions before making something.