A Guardian Monster is an exhibition as a part of the Souvenirs of a Forgotten Past project, in collaboration with Secrets of the Universe and Solid Nature.

In Taiwanese ancestral worship practices, names of family members are recorded on a keepsake plaque passed on between generations. The shape and materiality of this plaque varies. However, the road to the afterlife is paved with monsters, gods, redemptions and returns. This souvenir is a farewell gift, a gentle monster that remembers the names of the lost ones, but guards their souls for their eventual rebirth to the next life.

What is a souvenir? What does it mean for you or your family to have relocated from a home and find a new life in the United States? Are there old memories that became new artifacts? A souvenir is an artifact that articulates the journey of the two (or more) cultural backdrops.