Sadie Young’s colorful monsters may look like characters from a children’s television show, but the Denver artist’s creative intent is anything but juvenile. Inspired by Jungian psychology, Young’s fiber art menagerie puts a playful spin on self-criticism. “Our inner monsters tend to be way bigger and easier to find than the positive aspects of ourselves,” Young says. “I’m trying to make it easier to face these negative feelings or fears.” Young unveiled her first large-scale crochet installation in 2020 at Spectra Art Space, the South Broadway gallery and immersive art hub she co-founded nearly a decade prior. “It was so fun to make, and it was such a hit,” she says.

This month, Young will debut more than 30 new silly-meets-serious creations at her show The Tangled Self, which opens at the Denver Art Museum on May 4. Visitors can scramble inside the gaping mouth of a 12-foot-tall monster named “Manic,” ogle dangling eyeball tubes called “Insecurities,” and encounter tentacled creatures known as “Anxia” and “Tay.” Young spent several months crocheting for 10-plus hours a day and used more than 300 skeins of vibrant yarn to produce the one-of-a-kind beasts. “I hope [this show] makes people realize that we all have this going on in our head,” Young says. “We’re all tangled selves.”

5280 May 2025
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