Wonderland Dreams by Alexa Meade

Photo Credit: Mike Monaghan

Wonderland Dreams by Alexa Meade is what happens when an artist takes over a Best Buy. The space that used to be a Best Buy now holds an alternate reality of colors, cakes, and lots of illusions. Inspired by the magic of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, visitors can wander through over 20 rooms full of Meade’s sensational installations.

The largest project by the artist to date opens Friday, October 7th, in New York, and runs through spring 2023. Meade is best known for painting Ariana Grande for her “God is a Woman” music video and the powerful “Color of Reality” video featuring Jon Boogz and Lil Buck, which won CNN’s Artist Impact Award.

Flaunt sat down with the artist during the show's opening celebration to talk about the completely hand-painted interactive art experience. 

Photo Credit: Aleksander Michaud

Why Alice in Wonderland?

My main body of artwork involves making 3D objects look like 2-dimensional paintings, and one of the big themes in Alice Adventures in Wonderland is this sense of disorientation and illusion, and I thought that that would be a great thing to bring my style of art to. Each of the scenes in this exhibit is directly inspired by the novel from the Madhatter Teaparty, where there are hundreds of teacups and teapots and cakes that the guests can pick up and touch and have tea parties with, to the Queen of Hearts throne, giant playing cards, and also just very disorienting illusionistic spaces. 

What is the meaning behind your colorful practice?

I love colors. I can’t pick a favorite color. My favorite color is rainbow, and by that, I mean all the colors at once. So in this exhibit, it was pretty exciting to have areas that are blood red next to things that are hot lime green, and even areas that are black and white, creating that contrast. 

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Acevedo

How long did it take you to create this exhibit?

This exhibit took two months to paint and I had a team of about 20 painting assistants, who I taught to paint in my style, and I would create sketches on the walls and pick out the paint colors and have them fill in the areas of the painting. 

What was the process like of coming up with all the ideas for the show?

I came up with a lot of the ideas for this space in just a short two-week period. I felt really inspired and just had a lot in me that I had to get out. Part of this show is a celebration of when life turns surreal, so any sort of weird daydream I’ve had I've gotten to actually have it be on theme and on topic here. 

What do you hope the viewers take with them from this experience?

It’s a really magical space, and I hope that when people come here they have this moment of escape and feel like they are no longer in the city, but walking in a dream. I see it also as a very different approach to what art can be. Usually, art is where you stand very far away from the wall, with your hands behind your back so that you don’t touch anything. And here there are hundreds of little cakes and painted candies that you can pick up and interact with. It feels like a completely different paradigm when you think of the normal experience of viewing art. 

What is your favorite part?

One of my favorite parts is the Mad Tea party. It just feels so decadent, and there is something with this idea of feasting and endless cake that is very tempting. 

Photo Credit: Ruby June

You were in politics before you became an artist, how was that transition? 

I am not a classically trained artist. My background is in politics. I interned at Capitol Hill in high school and college, and then I did press for the Obama campaign in 2008. I used to think that I would run for congress some day, and then I just, out of the blue, decided that maybe I wanted to be an artist. And I taught myself how to paint through the process of developing this new type of illusion that makes 3D space look 2-dimensional. And when I stumbled upon that accidental discovery I decided that it was worth pursuing, and I made it my mission to make a life full of art. 

Can you explain a little bit more about your style of art?

The main style of art I am known for is painting on people and turning them into living paintings, I also will be painting on people at the art exhibit opening tonight, so people get to see that live. The painting comes to life. 

My initial inspiration was shadows, and I wanted to know what it would look like if I put black paint on people, so I started painting shadows on my friend. And I realized it looked on my camera as if he was a 2D painting. And I couldn’t wrap my head around it. And I decided to just keep pushing it and do more experiments, and turns out by accident I developed this style. 

Photo Credit: Mike Monaghan

Is there a commentary that you are trying to make with your art?

I used to think that in order to make a difference, and the biggest impact, going into politics would be the most direct route, and so that was my dream when I was younger. But one thing I found is that there are many ways to make a difference and have an impact. For example, with my artwork, I did a collaboration with dancers Jon Boogz and Lil Buck, where I painted them for a piece about police brutality and that piece ended up being seen millions of times and won CNN’s Artist Impact Award. And it’s something that is shown in high school classrooms around the country as part of the discussion. So I think whatever it is that is your chosen medium, whether it is art, politics, or otherwise, there are many ways for you to leave your mark on the World. 

Bjarke Ingels in Wonderland Dreamland by Alexa Meade. Photo by Mike Monaghan.

Event in Wonderland Dreamland by Alexa Meade. Photo by Mike Monaghan.