The English-language phrase “Even a worm will turn,” was adopted from the above lines by Lord Clifford in William Shakespeare’s Henry VI; the expression conveys the message that even the weakest of creatures will retaliate and seek revenge when pushed too far. As an Asian woman and survivor of assault, Augustina Wang has firsthand experience with the ways society dehumanizes women in her community and relegates them to the margins. In her latest body of work, Asian femmes occupy a fantasy world, embodying roles not normally assigned to them, in which they are powerful protagonists in an epic battle for justice and retribution.

The characters in For Glory and For Love embrace both the feminine and the masculine – depicted as soft and delicate on the one hand, and dominant and impenetrable on the other. Wang’s femmes expose their breasts, have long, flowing hair, elaborate nails, and rosy cheeks while also wearing pieces of armor, carrying swords, and flexing muscles in their battles with evil forces. This duality is most present in Titan 2: Vored, where a young woman on the ground is being devoured by a serpent. Her sensuous curves stretch out the serpent’s body while another figure comes to her rescue, tightly squeezing the serpent’s tale and accentuating a muscular nude body. They live in a fantastical world Wang has created for them – a world in which women tap into their inner powers and unleash their feminine rage.