This exhibit gets curioser and curioser.
A new “art experience and bar” in New York promises to send guests down the rabbit hole at its 26,000-square-foot display.
From Catching Flights, the production company behind the 2018 pop-up Rosé Mansion, and artist Alexa Meade comes “Wonderland Dreams,” a photogenic “journey” through a sprawling Midtown space decorated floor to ceiling with loosely “Alice in Wonderland”-themed landscapes. There are 30 rooms in all, many featuring interactive props including a rose crown, a knight’s helmet and a tiny teacup.
In a clip shared with press from a VIP preview ahead of the Friday opening, architect Bjarke Ingels is seen in one of the rooms attempting to build a structure from oversized playing cards, reaching three floors high before it comes crashing down. The public is now invited to build even higher than him.
As for how this exhibit stands out among all the other photogenic event spaces currently vying for New Yorkers’ time and attention, Meade told The Post that “Wonderland Dreams” is “an actual art exhibit, hand-painted with over 1,365 gallons of paint,” and not — as many other similarly marketed exhibits are — mostly projected visuals.
“When you step inside you are literally entering a painting and becoming a part of the art itself. It was really important to me to create an experience that allows guests to play, touch, climb on and even wear parts of the exhibit,” she continued. “Being able to fill such an enormous building on Fifth Avenue with my art has been a real dream, especially because it’s still rare for a female artist to take up that much space.”
There is also a gift shop featuring “parts of the immersive experience that you can take home with you,” as well as “one-of-a-kind works” by Meade.
Exhibit tickets are not necessary to visit the first-floor café and bar, which is open to the public and offers a menu of various wines, beers and non-alcoholic cocktails with a focus on women-owned producers. There are also themed small plates and snacks.
Wonderland Dreams will be open at 529 5th Ave. through April 2023. Timed entry tickets for the all-ages show are available seven days a week and cost $36 Monday through Friday ($26 for kids) and $46 Friday through Sunday ($36 for kids). Children under 3 years old are free.
