Leilani Derr
Chimera, Cryptids, and Yokai
Prints by artist Leilani Derr
Exhibition Date: September-November 2025
Chimera, Cryptids, and Yokai explores how we use myth and folklore to find place, belonging, and understanding in our modern culture through a lens of whimsical multiculturalism and surreal illustration. Using depictions of magical beings and Japanese folkloric entities known as yokai, artist Leilani Nobuko Derr processes her experience of feeling “othered” within her own culture and uncovers the potential in reframing your own personal mythology.
This collection of works gives viewers a small peek into a reduction printmaking process, a method in which the ability to reprint is destroyed through the printing process itself.
About Leilani Derr
Leilani Nobuko Derr is a visual artist and designer in Denver exploring how we use myth and folklore to find place, belonging, and understanding in our modern culture.
Leilani’s recent work has focused on surreal, illustrative multi-media projects exploring her search for belonging and identity as a “hapa” Japanese-American artist and what manifests when those connections are diminished through assimilation, racism, objectification, and confusion. Learn more about Leilani Derr on her social media.