<text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="15.0400085449219" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="37.0400009155273" x="62.2335968017578" y="-329.5" data-test="textbox">From </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="15.9800109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="87.0875930786133" x="100.735496520996" y="-329.25" data-test="textbox">Yayoi Kusama</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="15.2000122070312" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="98.9120025634766" x="188.494491577148" y="-329.5" data-test="textbox">’s Tate Modern </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="15.1679992675781" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="189.710426330566" x="80.0288925170898" y="-313.5" data-test="textbox">shows to the recently opened </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="15.1839904785156" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="238.110424041748" x="55.8130989074707" y="-297.5" data-test="textbox">Superblue in Miami, overwhelmingly </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="11.781005859375" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="43.7461013793945" x="53.8544998168945" y="-281.25" data-test="textbox">sensory </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="15.1679992675781" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="196.638404846191" x="97.929801940918" y="-281.5" data-test="textbox">experiences have swept social </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="15.1679992675781" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="206.686393737793" x="71.4372024536133" y="-265.5" data-test="textbox">media by storm. But what is the </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="15.1679992675781" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="70.9439926147461" x="53.0579986572266" y="-249.5" data-test="textbox">distinction </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="16.1329956054688" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="47.9382934570312" x="124.188293457031" y="-249.25" data-test="textbox">between </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="15.343994140625" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="124.096008300781" x="172.503112792969" y="-249.5" data-test="textbox">art and attraction?</text>

When the Tate Modern opened its 2012 <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/art/yayoi-kusama-biography-book-japanese-artist-robert-shore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yayoi Kusama</a> retrospective, the curators probably knew it would be big. It was, after all, the first major European survey of a ground-breaking conceptual artist. What they couldn&rsquo;t have predicted was the global frenzy that one of the works &mdash; &ldquo;Infinity Room,&rdquo; a barbershop of mirrors infinitely lit with fairy lights &mdash; would ignite. Nearly a decade later, Katy Wan, the curator behind Kusama&rsquo;s two new iterations of &ldquo;Infinity Room&rdquo; opening at the British Museum this summer, admits that the revival exhibitions&rsquo; purpose is twofold: to provide access to visitors chomping at the bit to experience the artist&rsquo;s now widely-snapped installations for themselves as well as provide a moment of pause to &ldquo;reassess Kusama in light of her rise to global acclaim, helped in recent years by the rise of social media."

“Almost Earth,” 2021, by Jesse Wilson. Installation view inside Meow Wolf’s “Omega Mart” in Las Vegas, photographed by Kate Russell.

It was, however, the ubiquity of social media that brought the Museum of Modern Art&rsquo;s 2013 iteration of artists Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass&rsquo;s &ldquo;Rain Room&rdquo; to the attention of masses. Who could miss supermodel <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/travel-living/veuve-clicquot-yayoi-kusama-new-york-botanical-garden-karlie-kloss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karlie Kloss</a> strategically backlit in a white skirt? Her caption of choice documenting her visit: &ldquo;no umbrella needed #RainRoom.&rdquo; Of course, the only place one might have wanted one was in the queue that wound around the block for weeks. Surely Karlie didn&rsquo;t have to wait like the rest of us.
<text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4200134277344" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.518127441406" x="307" y="-242.5" data-test="textbox">As the 2010s ticked by, the popularity of these all-body </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.102111816406" x="307.429992675781" y="-230.5" data-test="textbox">art experiences took off, nurtured along by hashtags and </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.236145019531" x="307.260009765625" y="-218.5" data-test="textbox">influencers but also by a bemused art world happy to see a new </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.282135009766" x="307.279998779297" y="-206.5" data-test="textbox">kind of engagement taking place in its halls. Museums took </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.152099609375" x="307.369995117188" y="-194.5" data-test="textbox">down their no-pictures signs, which had once protected visitors </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.098083496094" x="307.429992675781" y="-182.5" data-test="textbox">and paintings alike against the evils of flash photography. </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4600067138672" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.653106689453" x="306.920013427734" y="-170.5" data-test="textbox">The hassle of individual photo documentation &mdash; stop, pose, </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.179077148438" x="307.369995117188" y="-158.499984741211" data-test="textbox">click &mdash; became the rhythm of the art space and encouraged </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.25" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.156127929688" x="307.390014648438" y="-146.499969482422" data-test="textbox">new curatorial infatuations. QR codes were installed as wall labels. People took pictures of them, too.</text>

<text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.321228027344" x="672.200012207031" y="-734.5" data-test="textbox">It was only when someone bothered to ask if all this was still indeed</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4199829101562" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.30908203125" x="672.260009765625" y="-722.5" data-test="textbox"> art with a capital &ldquo;A&rdquo; that the music stopped and the&nbsp;</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.585083007812" x="671.929992675781" y="-710.499938964844" data-test="textbox">yardstick of context and pedigree emerged to parse out the </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.296142578125" x="672.260009765625" y="-698.499938964844" data-test="textbox">intruders. Existing art institutions and galleries like David </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4400024414062" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.12109375" x="672.429992675781" y="-686.499938964844" data-test="textbox">Zwirner, Jeffrey Deitch, MoMA, and the Tate could transform </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4199829101562" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.283081054688" x="672.22998046875" y="-674.499938964844" data-test="textbox">their halls into playgrounds, life-size AI puppet theaters, or </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.442138671875" x="672.140014648438" y="-662.499938964844" data-test="textbox">giant hamster cages and call it art. Yet the sprinkle-flecked </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.479125976562" x="672.080017089844" y="-650.499877929688" data-test="textbox">Museum of Ice Cream established in 2016 by Maryellis Bunn </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="244.086120605469" x="672.429992675781" y="-638.499877929688" data-test="textbox">and Manish Vora was decidedly not, even though the dessert-</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.255187988281" x="672.260009765625" y="-626.499877929688" data-test="textbox">inspired funhouse necessitated the labor and ideas of artists </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.299072265625" x="672.22998046875" y="-614.499877929688" data-test="textbox">to be realized. If only its owners had focused on securing a </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.430053710938" x="672.140014648438" y="-602.499877929688" data-test="textbox">gallery partner rather than corporate sponsors like Dove and </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4400024414062" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.643127441406" x="671.919982910156" y="-590.499877929688" data-test="textbox">Tinder, maybe it would&rsquo;ve been better received by association. </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.148132324219" x="672.390014648438" y="-578.499877929688" data-test="textbox">Luckily for Bunn and Vora, their fanbase doesn&rsquo;t seem to care. </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.340087890625" x="672.200012207031" y="-566.499877929688" data-test="textbox">Its block-wrapping popularity wasn&rsquo;t squelched by an expos&eacute; </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4600219726562" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.232116699219" x="672.349975585938" y="-554.499877929688" data-test="textbox">of its abusive labor practices, nor by a global pandemic. This </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4400024414062" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.577026367188" x="672" y="-542.499877929688" data-test="textbox">April, the Singapore Tourism Board announced that the </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.18408203125" x="672.369995117188" y="-530.499877929688" data-test="textbox">country will be hosting the first international iteration of the </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.445007324219" x="672.080017089844" y="-518.499877929688" data-test="textbox">MoIC after its expansion from its New York headquarters to a </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.502136230469" x="672.080017089844" y="-506.499877929688" data-test="textbox">Miami pop-up. If anything, as a case study MoIC proves just </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="202.7060546875" x="672.260009765625" y="-494.499847412109" data-test="textbox">how flimsy the word &ldquo;museum&rdquo; can be on its own.</text>
<text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4599914550781" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.618835449219" x="671.919982910156" y="-470.499847412109" data-test="textbox">The MoIC is a press-favored frontrunner in an expanded</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.426940917969" x="672.119995117188" y="-458.499847412109" data-test="textbox"> landscape of new experience-focused institutions that are </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.161865234375" x="672.369995117188" y="-446.499847412109" data-test="textbox">charging ticket fees for the privilege of walking around </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4599914550781" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="161.587890625" x="672.260009765625" y="-434.499847412109" data-test="textbox">inside Hollywood-studio-sized sets. The </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="13.8900146484375" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="65.3359985351562" x="833.987915039062" y="-434.499847412109" data-test="textbox">New York Times </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="20.4559936523438" x="899.073913574219" y="-434.499847412109" data-test="textbox">and </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.181884765625" x="672.349975585938" y="-422.499847412109" data-test="textbox">other outlets have dubbed these startups as outposts of the</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.197937011719" x="672.309997558594" y="-410.499847412109" data-test="textbox">&ldquo;experience economy&rdquo; &mdash; a new term that already carries with </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.262817382812" x="672.260009765625" y="-398.499847412109" data-test="textbox">it the miasmatic whiff of canned frivolity, or worse, straight </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.1728515625" x="672.369995117188" y="-386.499847412109" data-test="textbox">entertainment. Yet these spaces often try to eschew this kind </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.1689453125" x="672.349975585938" y="-374.499847412109" data-test="textbox">of classification by any means necessary, including titular </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4200134277344" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.182922363281" x="672.369995117188" y="-362.499847412109" data-test="textbox">callouts to the high arts such as </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4200134277344" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.182922363281" x="672.369995117188" y="-362.499847412109" data-test="textbox">L&rsquo;Atelier des Lumi&egrave;res in Paris and Artechouse in New York.</text>

It's impossible to deny that interactivity has always been foundational to art spaces and their success.

<text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.445861816406" x="672.080017089844" y="-194.49983215332" data-test="textbox">Meow Wolf is the exception &mdash; at least by name. Started by a </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.39990234375" x="672.140014648438" y="-182.49983215332" data-test="textbox">group of artists in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the collective has grown</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.383911132812" x="672.140014648438" y="-170.499816894531" data-test="textbox"> over the past decade from a guerrilla-style psychedelic art</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.135864257812" x="672.429992675781" y="-158.499816894531" data-test="textbox"> and music pop-up producer into a multi-million dollar real</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.268798828125" x="672.239990234375" y="-146.499801635742" data-test="textbox">-estate-holding conglomerate. Its goal from the beginning was</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.695922851562" x="671.869995117188" y="-134.499801635742" data-test="textbox"> to open up new audiences for working artists jaded by the conservatism</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.179870605469" x="672.369995117188" y="-122.499786376953" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;and competitiveness that seemed baked into the existing</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.141845703125" x="672.369995117188" y="-110.499786376953" data-test="textbox"> creative taxonomies. Its most recent project is &ldquo;Omega&nbsp;</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.471862792969" x="672.080017089844" y="-98.4997863769531" data-test="textbox">Mart,&rdquo; a haunted grocery store environment in which visitors are</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.085876464844" x="672.429992675781" y="-86.499755859375" data-test="textbox"> invited to meditate on the pitfalls of consumerism. &ldquo;If there's</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.345825195312" x="672.22998046875" y="-74.499755859375" data-test="textbox"> anything that the art world has continually done over the</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.308898925781" x="672.22998046875" y="-62.499755859375" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;centuries, it&rsquo;s been to reject something initially as not good enough</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.19287109375" x="672.369995117188" y="-50.499755859375" data-test="textbox"> to be art,&rdquo; states Caity Kennedy, a founding member of</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299995422363" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.189880371094" x="672.349975585938" y="-38.499755859375" data-test="textbox"> Meow Wolf and its Senior Creative Director. &ldquo;So when we receive criticism for creating work that is too entertaining or&nbsp;</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.395874023438" x="929.140014648438" y="-434.5" data-test="textbox">popular or, worse, enjoyable, it&rsquo;s disappointing to me because it</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.27197265625" x="929.260009765625" y="-422.5" data-test="textbox"> is a judgment that shows a lack of curiosity.&rdquo; </text>
<text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.27197265625" x="929.260009765625" y="-422.5" data-test="textbox">Indeed, it&rsquo;s easy to</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.353881835938" x="929.22998046875" y="-410.5" data-test="textbox"> make a list of &ldquo;haunted houses&rdquo; that have been certified by the</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4200134277344" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.309814453125" x="929.22998046875" y="-398.5" data-test="textbox"> art establishment as &ldquo;real art&rdquo; &mdash; the Park Avenue Armory </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.341796875" x="929.22998046875" y="-386.5" data-test="textbox">turned its drill hall into walkable Snow White hell in 2013 </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.271850585938" x="929.25" y="-374.5" data-test="textbox">for Paul McCarthy&rsquo;s &ldquo;WS&rdquo;; three years later, Pedro Reyes</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4400024414062" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.39990234375" x="929.140014648438" y="-362.5" data-test="textbox">produced a political haunted house for Creative Time; and, </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4200134277344" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.2578125" x="929.260009765625" y="-350.5" data-test="textbox">in a project funded by Art Production in 2019, Lucy Sparrow</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4599914550781" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.160888671875" x="929.369995117188" y="-338.5" data-test="textbox">created an interactive grocery store of felted products. That same</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.094909667969" x="929.409973144531" y="-326.5" data-test="textbox"> year, Meow Wolf announced it was going to open an art hotel</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.25390625" x="929.260009765625" y="-314.5" data-test="textbox"> in Phoenix, while Hauser and Wirth debuted its own,&nbsp;</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4200134277344" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.286865234375" x="929.22998046875" y="-302.5" data-test="textbox">the Fife Arms, in Scotland, and Maja Hoffmann announced the</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.306884765625" x="929.22998046875" y="-290.5" data-test="textbox"> completion of several hotels convenient to her private&nbsp;</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4200134277344" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.107849121094" x="929.429992675781" y="-278.5" data-test="textbox">art compound Luma Arles. &ldquo;Anything sensory that doesn&rsquo;t </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.272827148438" x="929.260009765625" y="-266.5" data-test="textbox">have another function is a form of entertainment even if it&rsquo;s </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.169921875" x="929.369995117188" y="-254.500015258789" data-test="textbox">challenging or niche,&rdquo; Kennedy continues. &ldquo;For any art world </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.272827148438" x="929.22998046875" y="-242.5" data-test="textbox">to assert an exception reveals more about the high entry point of their intended audience rather than what is art."</text>

”Massless Clouds Between Sculpture and Life,” 2020, by teamLab. Installation view of Every Wall is a Door, Superblue Miami, 2021. © teamLab. Courtesy of Pace Gallery.

<text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="246.8740234375" x="929.650024414062" y="-206.499984741211" data-test="textbox">Superblue, a new hybrid institution backed by art world stalwarts</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.139099121094" x="929.409973144531" y="-194.499984741211" data-test="textbox"> Pace Gallery and tech disruptor Emerson Collective, </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.328125" x="929.22998046875" y="-182.499969482422" data-test="textbox">threatens to confuse things even further. Its first iteration is on view</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.637084960938" x="928.900024414062" y="-170.499969482422" data-test="textbox"> in Miami next door to the Rubell Museum’s legendary private</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="244.344116210938" x="929.140014648438" y="-158.499969482422" data-test="textbox"> collection, and includes installations by internationally-</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4400024414062" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.25" x="929.280029296875" y="-146.499938964844" data-test="textbox">known artist hitters like James Turrell and teamLab, attracting both</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4600067138672" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.489990234375" x="929.02001953125" y="-134.499938964844" data-test="textbox"> art world pilgrims and thrill-seekers alike. The project does not</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299957275391" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.140014648438" x="929.390014648438" y="-122.499938964844" data-test="textbox"> use language like “attractions’’ to describe its programming as</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.087097167969" x="929.429992675781" y="-110.499938964844" data-test="textbox"> Meow Wolf does, though, and instead plans on forging its own</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4400024414062" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.1650390625" x="929.349975585938" y="-98.4999389648438" data-test="textbox"> architectural vocabulary. To this end, Co-Founder and CEO</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.087158203125" x="929.47998046875" y="-86.4999389648438" data-test="textbox"> Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst sees the launch of Superblue </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.131042480469" x="929.429992675781" y="-74.4999389648438" data-test="textbox">as the first experiment in an ongoing dialogue driven almost exclusively</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299995422363" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.162109375" x="929.369995117188" y="-62.4999122619629" data-test="textbox"> by artists that were previously hindered by the limits of</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300033569336" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.196166992188" x="929.349975585938" y="-50.4999084472656" data-test="textbox"> exhibition turnover and funding. She explains that the ability to</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299995422363" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.332153320312" x="929.22998046875" y="-38.4999084472656" data-test="textbox"> create year-long residencies and generate ticket sales allows the</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2299995422363" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.3330078125" x="929.22998046875" y="-26.4998779296875" data-test="textbox"> new institution to back dream-sized immersive artworks </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.324108123779" x="50.2299995422363" y="-734.5" data-test="textbox">that normal galleries and museums cannot. “Ultimately we are </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.295116424561" x="50.2599983215332" y="-722.5" data-test="textbox">here to serve artists and help them stage their most ambitious </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.417068481445" x="50.1399993896484" y="-710.5" data-test="textbox">projects without limitations,” explains Dent-Brocklehurst. </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.165054321289" x="50.3899993896484" y="-698.5" data-test="textbox">Like Meow Wolf’s Kennedy, Dent-Brocklehurst is dubious </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.277996063232" x="50.2299995422363" y="-686.5" data-test="textbox">that “experiential art” is a new genre, preferring instead to see </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4199829101562" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="246.921104431152" x="50.6500015258789" y="-674.5" data-test="textbox">Superblue as an evolution of the work started by Land Artists, </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.127006530762" x="50.4300003051758" y="-662.5" data-test="textbox">architecturally minded practitioners like Colette and Gordon </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4600219726562" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.468032836914" x="50.0800018310547" y="-650.5" data-test="textbox">Matta-Clark, and institutions like Mass MoCA, The Kitchen, </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4199829101562" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="244.019035339355" x="50.4300003051758" y="-638.5" data-test="textbox">and the Armory, which have always lent their halls to large scale ambitions. </text>

“Universe of Water Particles, Transcending Boundaries,” 2017, by teamLab. Installation view of Every Wall is a Door, Superblue Miami, 2021. © teamLab. Courtesy of Pace Gallery.

It&rsquo;s true. Digging into the history of art spaces, it&rsquo;s impossible to mark when they became experiential. The Louvre, for example, first let people roam its halls when artists were still in residence working on canvases that draped from floor to ceiling. MoMA&rsquo;s founding director Alfred H. Barr Jr. famously hosted &ldquo;Joe Milone&rsquo;s Shoe Shine Stand&rdquo; in the building&rsquo;s lobby in 1942, offering museum-goers a chance to get their own shoes polished in the bejeweled throne of Sicilian immigrant Joe Milone. (Eventually, Barr was thrown out by the board for being too avant-garde.) Even if the relationship was not recognized in real-time, it&rsquo;s impossible to deny that interactivity has always been foundational to art spaces and their success. Perhaps this means social media&rsquo;s current dominance in conversations is only a phase &mdash; a growing pain that will soon collapse into our understanding of these institutions. If the past is any indication, artists will have to lead the way.

Installation view of Leo Villareal: Harmony of the Spheres, 2020. Courtesy of Pace Gallery.

<text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.690887451172" x="306.839996337891" y="-734.5" data-test="textbox">When Leo Villareal, a Pace Gallery-represented artist with </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="246.865814208984" x="307.649993896484" y="-722.5" data-test="textbox">Superblue projects already in the works and a career focused on public</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.395874023438" x="307.140014648438" y="-710.5" data-test="textbox"> interventions, is asked how to negotiate social media dominance</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.196899414062" x="307.369995117188" y="-698.5" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;in these spaces and the sense of gimmickry they create</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.196838378906" x="307.369995117188" y="-686.5" data-test="textbox">, he pauses. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t mind people documenting. I&rsquo;d like </text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.293884277344" x="307.25" y="-674.5" data-test="textbox">for people to have an experience where they feel comfortable to</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.469970703125" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.284820556641" x="307.230010986328" y="-662.5" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;[do] as they please,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But part of me thinks that perhaps</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.44384765625" x="307.140014648438" y="-650.5" data-test="textbox"> if the conditions were right, my work could be a space where</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.673889160156" x="306.869995117188" y="-638.5" data-test="textbox"> you might want to put away your phone and just be.&nbsp;</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4600219726562" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.608856201172" x="306.920013427734" y="-626.5" data-test="textbox">Then you could do whatever you want without feeling the pressure</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.3818359375" x="307.140014648438" y="-614.5" data-test="textbox"> that you need to perform an interaction &mdash; whether that's</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.320892333984" x="307.230010986328" y="-602.5" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;for the sake of the work or for social media likes. What makes</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.207946777344" x="307.359985351562" y="-590.5" data-test="textbox"> me optimistic about Superblue is that they are actively engaging</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4199829101562" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.169921875" x="307.369995117188" y="-578.5" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;in these discussions. Accessibility is an afterthought but</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.469970703125" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.475799560547" x="307.019989013672" y="-566.5" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;[an] essential ingredient every step of the way from the philosophy to design and funding."</text>

<text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.263214111328" x="307.279998779297" y="-530.5" data-test="textbox">Villareal&rsquo;s emphasis on a kind of generosity as essential to this kind</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.222137451172" x="307.279998779297" y="-518.5" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;of work is echoed in a conversation with artist Jennifer Steinkamp</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.22998046875" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="246.853057861328" x="307.649993896484" y="-506.5" data-test="textbox">, a veteran of this field who began projection mapping</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="244.102111816406" x="307.359985351562" y="-494.5" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;before the term existed, bringing to life her multi-</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.200134277344" x="307.369995117188" y="-482.5" data-test="textbox">channel environments which vaporize the boundaries between image</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.304138183594" x="307.260009765625" y="-470.5" data-test="textbox"> and architecture. Steinkamp says that gratitude is perhaps</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.39208984375" x="307.140014648438" y="-458.499969482422" data-test="textbox"> an essential ingredient in all installation art because from</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.252136230469" x="307.25" y="-446.499969482422" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;the beginning the artist has a sense of duty as a host.</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.263122558594" x="307.309997558594" y="-434.499969482422" data-test="textbox">&ldquo; When you&rsquo;re dealing with audiences, you must acknowledge you've</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.628112792969" x="306.929992675781" y="-422.499938964844" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;taken steps to manipulate their spaces and take their money</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4599914550781" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.191162109375" x="307.359985351562" y="-410.499938964844" data-test="textbox">,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;There is a certain amount of generosity that needs</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.1630859375" x="307.390014648438" y="-398.499938964844" data-test="textbox"> to be reciprocated.&rdquo; Steinkamp isn&rsquo;t yet sure what she thinks</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.326141357422" x="307.230010986328" y="-386.499938964844" data-test="textbox"> about Superblue&rsquo;s Miami location but does know that the</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.4200134277344" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.335052490234" x="307.230010986328" y="-374.499938964844" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;billboards around LA advertising an immersive Van Gogh</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.155151367188" x="307.369995117188" y="-362.499908447266" data-test="textbox">experience drive her mad. She agrees that these are inherently different</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.131103515625" x="307.369995117188" y="-350.499908447266" data-test="textbox"> kinds of venues, though Steinkamp is loath to put a name</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.195129394531" x="307.390014648438" y="-338.499908447266" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;to exactly why living artists should always be involved in the</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.317169189453" x="307.230010986328" y="-326.499877929688" data-test="textbox"> creation and maintenance of art spaces. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all a matter of intention</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.275146484375" x="307.260009765625" y="-314.499877929688" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;in the end,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;You really would need to ask the</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.278045654297" x="307.230010986328" y="-302.499877929688" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;artist and then you might find the answer.&rdquo; If Steinkamp</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.304077148438" x="307.260009765625" y="-290.499877929688" data-test="textbox">is a crystal ball of technologies to come, fortunes are looking up</text><text class="_3ziulaHePS" direction="ltr" height="14.2300109863281" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="247.340118408203" x="307.149993896484" y="-278.499877929688" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;for Superblue and Meow Wolf, so long as they keep their eyes on the art.</text>

The Immersive Art Experience: Are Attractions Considered Art?

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