The stories of the American writer L. Frank Baum have captivated both children and adults for many years. But it is the rich fantasy world he created for “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and the succeeding books in the series that he is most known for.

Contemporary artist Yayie Garcia investigates the Oz mythos in a new exhibition called “OZ: Behind The Seen,” which will open on May 16, 6 p.m. at Art Underground in Mandaluyong.

Yayie Garcia is a young graduate of the Fine Arts program of Far Eastern University. Her first solo show takes on Dorothy as her avatar. “As I grow older, I still dream of my own life’s journey, only to find out it is very much comparable to the ‘Wizard of Oz,’” she said.

“This dream symbolizes how we perceive life in its amazing but cruel forms,” said Garcia. “The path made out of long hair may symbolize life or our attitude toward every situation. Like the human hair, we can change the style of how we live, cut it short, color it differently, let it grow longer and longer, tie it up tightly or just let it be blown by the wind. You decide, after all, it is your life isn’t it? The Tin Man, The Lion and The Scarecrow symbolizes the different people along the journey called life. They may be very different from us yet we consider them getting close to our hearts. These people are important and essential people that change our lives one way or another whether we realize it or not.”

Exhibit will run until May 26.

Art Underground is at 814 Balagtas St., Barangay Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City. Call 7210745, e-mail [email protected]. Visit www.aumanila.com.