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Phoenix • 602.347.8788 eople have been pouring into Scottsdale Fashion Square this month in search of the perfect holiday gift. Some have stum- bled onto an arts venue called Wonderspaces, which opened near the food court earlier this year. And, they likely wonder: Is it worth the $24 price of admission? Wonderspaces bills itself as an immer- sive space where interacting with art sparks curiosity and wonder. The concept launched in San Diego with a pop-up exhi- bition several years ago. Later, the first per- manent location opened at the upscale Scottsdale mall. The venue presents changing exhibi- tions, which typically include more than a dozen installations. First up for Scottsdale was an exhibition called “Point of View,” which included a compelling mix of art- works. Now, it’s showing “Elsewhere.” And it’s a whole other ballgame. Its website promises 13 “extraordinary works of art.” Instead, it filled 16,000 square feet of space with creative endeav- ors that fall far short of expectations. Soil is basically a floor of silver tiles that tilt as people walk across them. And Levitate is a simple row of tubes with balls that rise or fall in response to viewer proximity. Fortunately, there are a few exceptions. Nicole Banowetz’s inflatable Erupture sculpture surrounds viewers with an alter- native landscape complete with transpar- encies that reveal internal structures. Matthew Matthew’s On a Human Scale al- lows viewers to activate videos of diverse people singing by manipulating the keys on a piano. Odds are, some people will be perfectly satisfied with “Elsewhere.” It has a couple of Instagram-worthy pieces, including Squidsoup’s Submergence, which features over 8,000 points of light. And it’s a re- freshing alternative to following your friends around from store to store for hours on end. For people familiar with the local arts scene, it raises some interesting questions. So far, Wonderspaces hasn’t featured work by Arizona creatives. It’s a curious choice considering the wealth of local artists who’ve creating in- triguing installation art — from Saskia Jorda’s Cacerolazo shown during Michi- gan’s ArtPrize to Denise Yaghmourian’s Checking out Submergence by Squidsoup. Objects of Memory shown at Bentley Gal- lery in Phoenix. Jorda suspended pots, pans, and cook- ing utensils from the ceiling with red string, which references her Venezuelan roots and a popular form of street protests in the South American country. Yagmou- rian dipped objects acquired through the years in black paint, then created a hang- ing installation that speaks to memories and time. Another “Elsewhere” installation sparks curiosity about Wonderspaces’ fa- miliarity with the local arts landscape. For several years now, the concept of secrets has been a pivotal part of Christo- pher Jagmin’s art practice. Back in 2016, he created community confessionals for Scottsdale Public Art’s Canal Conver- gence event held just a block south of Scottsdale Fashion Square. People wrote secrets on pieces of paper, which were grouped in a public display. Candy Chang’s Confessions for “Else- where” bears striking similarities, al- though it lacks the depth of Jagmin’s Your Secret is Safe With Me, in which some com- munity members also chose to exchange their secrets sitting face to face. For art history nerds, there’s another layer of letdown. Devoid of context, some people might delight in seeing Mesplé’s Killing Time. It’s a kinetic hourglass triggered by movement, which has a black liquid oozing from the open mouth of a golden skull. But others will be disappointed because it pales in comparison to the rich tradition of “vani- tas” artworks that explores issues of love and death with still-life paintings that of- ten incorporate the human skull. Even so, there are ways to maximize the Wonderspaces experience. The venue has a cold, sterile quality when it’s not buzzing with activity. There’s an entirely different vibe when the gallery spaces are filled with people. Conversa- tions happen. People intuit artists’ inten- tions more freely. The shared community experience creates a sense of joy and won- der that’s lacking in most individual en- counters with these artworks. So check it out if you have $24 to spare. But take a friend. And temper your expec- tations. Lynn Trimble DEC. 26TH, 2019–JAN. 1ST, 2020 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
