The Stranger

Haunt is loosely based on the short stories within the Victorian horror novel, “The King in Yellow” by Robert W. Chambers whose narrative runs through themes of fantastical and terrifying realms, madness, despair, fear, and fascination of the unknown.

Each character though separated by their stores are tied together through a constant threat of corruption posed by an ageless and ominous entity known a The Yellow King. To be marked by the yellow sign signifies the loss of balance and makes way for fear. It is fear that corrupts, splinters, and infects the individual self.

Through this guise, the unraveling of identity begins.

Leilani Bustamante was born in Santa Rosa California and is a graduate of the Academy of Art University. She grew up between the suburban sprawl and rural Fort Bragg, where she draws inspiration from their simultaneous decay and growth. Her work often voices themes of mortality exploring elements of death, rebirth, beauty and spoil, the loveliness of the macabre and the mournful influence of osteological motifs. She currently resides in San Francisco.