A new portal is officially open in Grapevine, Texas as Meow Wolf opened the doors of The Real Unreal to the public, its newest immersive art exhibition. It is the fourth immersive art exhibition opened by the Santa Fe-based company and was crafted by 40 Texas-based artists and over 150 Meow Wolf artists and fabricators.
Nestled inside Grapevine Mills, a mall in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, guests enter through the Delaney family home and explore its everyday ephemera which hint at a mysterious disappearance. In signature Meow Wolf fashion, what happens next is a swift freefall down a narrative rabbit hole. Guests will revel in spectacle after spectacle which materialize into an experience of multisensory art.
“Meow Wolf Grapevine represents years of thoughtful collaboration from artists in New Mexico, Texas and beyond, and begins a new chapter for Meow Wolf,” says Sarah Bradley, Senior Creative Director at Meow Wolf. “We’re introducing new characters from writer LaShawn Wanak and beginning to weave together our universes. I am thrilled to share this exhibition with the world.”
The Real Unreal journey begins in a seemingly ordinary front yard in the Midwest. Questions begin to arise: how did you end up here, and where exactly is “here”? The house emerges as a place of refuge for the Delaney and Fuqua families, a sanctuary amidst the unfolding story. Intimate details throughout the house–such as weekly dinner menus, Post-It notes, and inspirational reminders–immediately invite guests into the heart of the inhabitants, and the underlying story. Whether following a clue about a missing boy, or testing out an alluring secret portal, curious guests will soon uncover an exuberance of surprises stretching and weaving from the house walls.
“The brilliance of so many Texas based artists in collaboration with our Meow Wolf artists came together to create a completely unique, ingenious space,” said CEO Jose Tolosa. “This next chapter of the Meow Wolf universe is a celebration of the artists who push the boundaries of imagination. We invite everyone to come experience these portals of possibility.”
There are dozens of spaces and installations to enjoy inside The Real Unreal. Like BRRRMUDA, an intersection of refrigerator portals from various dimensions, taking guests on unexpected adventures or to lively parties. A mystical forest cloaked in magical daylight offers endless possibilities for discovery, with musical fungus adorning the massive tree trunk and Baba Yaga’s treehouse nestled in its branches. Lamp Shop Alley bustles with city antics. Its shop windows overflow with trinkets and doors leading to the unknown. Optic Drift presents a labyrinthine space inspired by artistic improvisation, a canvas for talented creators to collaborate and scatter Easter eggs. And Neon Kingdom embodies the essence of architectural personification for the sake of pure aesthetics, boasting resplendent structures that glow and radiate in a whimsical cuckoo-clock landscape. With a charming and inviting dance floor, it offers visitors the opportunity to partake in a multiversal dance party. There is no set route and no one way to find these spaces.
Visitors can refresh themselves at Meow Wolf’s cafe just inside the entry, which offers a bevy of local treats and drinks, both grab-and-go and dine-in offerings. The neighborhood vendors featured at the cafe demonstrate the extraordinary depth of independent organizations making local products, allowing visitors to get a taste for the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The gift shop features Meow Wolf’s signature swag that has gained a following of its own for its whimsical style. These carefully curated keepsakes will allow guests to take home a piece of their experience, and the gift shop will even be open at times for mall-goers without the exhibition ticket.
