Meow Wolf, “Nucleotide” installation at Thomas Robertello Gallery in Chicago (all photographs by the author for Hyperallergic unless otherwise noted)
CHICAGO — If a tree grows in Brooklyn, a cave populated by neon flora ‘n fauna blooms in Chicago by way of New Mexico. Nucleotide is the spawn of Meow Wolf, an 18-person collective from Santa Fe that has been making large-scale immersive installations since 2007. This installation which was created specifically for Thomas Robertello Gallery (runs through December 14) is an immersive environmental experience created from materials both organic and inorganic, bought and found, realistic and completely surreal.
Stepping into this environment is like entering an imagined cave landscape from Planet Zandar, which I’ve made up especially for the purposes of this story, an acid-induced magical mystery tour created by disciples of the Beatles, and the leftovers of a rave that was once populated by folks donned in lace who were carrying light sticks before they came down and lost them all in a haze. Christmas lights and Lite Brite lites dot the interior of this freeing and freeform landscape where the collective creative consciousness of 18 artists grows and flows, immersing visitors in a trippy post-trance surreality.
Read the full story on Hyperallergic: http://hyperallergic.com/83978/a-psychedelic-cave-blooms-in-chicago/
