The grotesque, the ugly, and the disgusting are concepts of ‘otherness’ that lie apart from the self. It is ‘the repressed desire, the familiar now made strange, the strangely familiar’ (Paul Clinton, 2024, n.p). The grotesque creates ‘a cognitive dissonance’ and when we encounter it, we are confronted with our monsters — our ‘fears, desires, and fantasies’. These monsters disrupt the ideal image we have of ourselves — an image forged through colonialism, capitalism and contemporary society — as rational and moral beings. However, this encounter with otherness is often subconsciously and actively sought. Through altered states such as hypnosis or hallucinogenic experiences, there emerges a desire to transcend the boundaries of the self. This suggests that the grotesque does not only repel, but also seduces. Untitled is a psychedelic work, drawing visual inspiration from the works of Alex Grey. From a distance it is vibrant and inviting, beckoning the viewer into a new and fantastical realm. Yet upon closer inspection, it triggers fear and disgust as the composition reveals itself to be formed from crawling insects.