Hiding Under Your Bed

From haunted sounds turned into music, to misunderstood monsters and chatbots plotting against humanity, each tale dives into a unique nightmare. Dare to step in? Strange noises can be heard in every house at night—the door creaking seemingly by itself, the sound of footsteps when no one’s around. In “Every Time We Say Goodbye,” Neil Luck makes music from these unexplainable sounds and reveals where they come from. Monsters aren’t necessarily evil—they just look different. In “Wild Machines / Máquinas Salvajes” by Jonathan Torres, you follow the journey of an underwater device made from biodegradable material. Will it find acceptance among the creatures of the deep, or be shunned as an outsider? “Land of Exile” is another piece exploring the fear of rejection in a new environment. Artist Tianyu Qiu uses satellite maps to showcase Chinese neighborhoods in various cities worldwide. Why do they seem so grim? Why are these areas in exile? It's because they’re places where people have lost their old identities and are trying to create new ones. In “LABYRINTHOS” by Iury Lech, you get under the spell and start your journey alongside the main character meeting lots of strange creatures along the way. Their looks may be terrifying, but their true purpose is to inspire. In “Escaping Hell” by Blas Payri, Eurydice is stuck in a never-ending cycle, desperately trying to escape the underworld. She keeps getting on a train, only to find herself back where she began. Look at the fiery Hades—doesn’t it resemble our modern world? Meet TOKI in “Lash” by Hye Rim Lee—a beautifully unsettling cyborg doll, with all the trappings of hyper-femininity. Just be careful when she draws you in. Those lashes aren’t just for show—they’re whips, and they’re ready to snap. “HI” by CAO SHU explores the fear of machines turning against us. In this piece, the artist makes two chatbots converse with each other. What topics are they bringing up, and how soon might they start plotting against humanity? Can we fear ourselves and the choices we make? Absolutely! In “DESPAIR,” artist Benjamin Ramírez Pérez explores themes of identity, using clips from the films of Fassbinder and Cronenberg. The real monster might be modern society itself. In “Out of the Box,” artist Sameh Al Tawil سامح الطويل reveals how media, politics, religion, and advertising manipulate us. Can we break free from this trap? Or at least stop falling for the manipulation?