Unforgettable colors. Abstract structures. Astonishing art pieces that will leave their viewers guessing. Meow Wolf, an art museum recently introduced to Houston on Oct. 31, 2024, is an establishment that takes an impossibly unique approach to art. Through the work of countless artists and their resulting prodigious works, Meow Wolf creates a seemingly boundless world of story and wonder that can be enjoyed by anyone, no matter their age, background or interests. As said by the Los Angeles Times, “getting lost will be a part of the journey.”
After entering Meow Wolf’s “Radio Tave” exhibit, you are led into a room that appears to be an ordinary corporate office. However ordinary it may seem at first glance, there is still much to be seen and discovered. For example, behind a certain door lies a room full of old CDs, tapes and records. The room featured hundreds of works from the different musical icons of older generations, including artists like Mike Jones and A Tribe Called Quest. The room serves as a pocket of depth between nostalgia and those of older generations, and even sparks conservation between people of different stages of life.
Throughout the museum, there are also pieces of artwork representative of different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures. A section of the exhibit plays homage to DJ Screw, an African American producer and Houstonian that produced countless of the most popular hip hop songs for his time. In a different area, Filipino culture is depicted through the gorgeous, vibrant paintings of three Filipino women, each representing differing Filipino indigenous groups. In another, elements of Hispanic culture are expressed, with papel picado, a type of Mexican folk art, strewn across the ceiling. The papel picado was accompanied by mutterings of Spanish expressions amongst the cultural music played in the background. Such artwork allows for people of any culture to personally connect to the environment around them, whilst feeling appreciated, seen and understood.
Beyond these symbolic pieces, many more artworks of color, splendor and mystery await. Each room contains artworks that are puzzles ready to be deciphered, carrying many elements that with a closer look will reveal parts of the story meant to be told by them. For instance, after focusing on a tall, intricate tower of what might at at first appear to be random stuff, you’ll find the structure of the formation is made up of items once owned and shaped by the hands of the people they once belonged to- including old children’s toys, tapes, telephones, lamps, computers and blankets.
Throughout each exhibit, Meow Wolf creates a profound level of engagement through incorporating the use of not just sight, but touch, smell and hearing as well. Each room and respective exhibit carries a unique aura, with differing smells ranging from stagnant to sweet, audible expression such as the distinct chirp of birds or a foreboding, rumbling growl, and the details in every artwork that by gentle touch allow you to learn so much more about an artwork’s intended purpose. All these elements compliment the visual artwork and create an enhanced, almost hypnotic artistic space.
The hands-on interaction the museum features is also unmatched. With the press of a button, you are able to set what at first seemed like a bland, white room alight with a fanciful array of colors, images and patterns. The museum allows you to take control of the very environment you immerse yourself within, enhancing your experience. The various surprises and secret doors encountered at multiple turns is one of the many captivating traits the museum harbors.
These features do not even begin to scratch the surface of all Meow Wolf has to offer. At the end of my adventure, I had taken 480 photos. My camera roll has never felt so full, yet there’s barely a single picture that I wished to delete. Though, pictures and videos do little justice to illustrate the experience itself. In order to make the most of the ethereal designs pictured, you must feel the cool air against your own skin, hear the art enhancing background noise with your own ears and feel the texture of recycled material beneath your own palms. Meow Wolf is an experience truly unparalleled by most other art museums, and an experience you’ll want to return to, if only so you can try and discover just a little more of the exhibit’s endless secrets and stories. Meow Wolf is a great way to break away from reality, even just for an hour or so, to revel in a word of intricacy and endless possibility.
