We enter via a mock grocery store, one with not-so-hidden portals into the large-scale art exhibitions beyond. In the market, one can find mini takes on classical sculptures that appear to be constructed out of meat as well as walls of milk and orange juice that look as if they are disintegrating before us. And that says nothing of the host of sarcastic fake products (see the Plausible Deniability laundry detergent), many of which we can purchase.
The Meow Wolf design philosophy is ultimately one that’s based on active participation by the guest, a shift from less assertive forms of entertainment of yore, be it a museum or the early days of theme parks. Stray, not-so-hidden paths and an assortment of nooks dot a Meow Wolf exhibition, inviting guests to choose their own narrative. Story threads are peppered throughout. Omega Mart, for instance, grapples with environmental distress and corporate responsibility.
This can be reflected via wildly colorful, all-enveloping art exhibits. A centerpiece of Omega Mart is Meow Wolf’s take on a desert, where flowers tower above us, rock walls shift via trippy animations and what could be a river glows beneath us. It’s warming, but it also hints at some form of mutation.
Throughout Omega Mart, one can stumble into spaces full of disorienting mirrors and cynically ridiculous takes on corporate back rooms. Come for the art, stay for the game-like story and be on the prowl for some inquisitive robots.
All these byzantine paths and shifts in art direction are what Meow Wolf co-founder Sean Di Ianni, currently at work on a West Los Angeles outpost for the group, refers to as “good mystery confusion.” In turn, a Meow Wolf space is a place to experience art but also one full of narrative puzzles, allowing guests to place themselves in a mystical story.
