For two months of 2021, more than 20,000 people lined up outside a 32,000-square-foot warehouse in Chicago for a new exhibition: Artopia.
Now, the pop-up, immersive art experience is coming to Phoenix. Tickets are on sale now for the March 2022 exhibition on the Fever event page.
The concept — created by Superfruit LLC owners and entrepreneurs Dominque Brown and John Schroeder — will feature more than 15 local artists from across the Valley in a large-scale blended immersive and technological experience. Murals, interactive projection mapping and sound reactive LEDs are all part of the Phoenix installation.
Brown said Phoenix’s booming arts scene made the city a logical next stop for Artopia. The installation is coming to town in March at a location yet to be announced.
“The artists here are thriving,” Brown said. “Roosevelt Row is exhilarating. We wanted to go to a city that we felt was super strong and this was it. Phoenix is growing so quickly.”
Brown said the immersive exhibition would be tailored to Phoenix’s arts scene and culture.
“The last thing that we want to do is come into a city that is rich with so much culture and just present what we think is art,” Brown said. “We want to be true to that city. We want to elevate the artists in the city and amplify their messages.”
What is Artopia?
It’s as if you’re entering another world, Brown said.
It’s a blend of arts, technology and immersion, where cocktails and creativity collide. After a self-guided tour through the installation, guests can enter the Artopia Lounge to enjoy craft cocktails and get to know the artists.
“Artopia is how we envision a planet,” Brown said. “And this planet was inhabited by really creative people and artists and it’s bright and it’s colorful and it’s culture. Those people were wiped out from that planet and became overgrown by nature but the technology still remains. We wanted to create an environment that people can walk and move through that feels like that.”
More than 15 local artists will feature work in the installation, with street artists, light installation creatives, muralists, projection-mapping artists and sculpture artists spearheading the event. Local artists will be announced in mid-February, Brown said.
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Large-scale art installations produced by Superfruit will enhance local artworks. Divided into seven different “environments,” the pop-up will feature a 360-mirror projection tunnel and a 12-foot, black light mushroom installation, among others. At least 15 art installations will be featured in “Artopia.”
The pop-up will also feature “After Dark,” a separate experience that will start at 9 pm. After touring the installation, guests can enjoy burlesque, poetry and fire performances alongside a menu of craft cocktails.
Artopia’s creators started producing events in Chicago
It all started 10 years ago when Brown produced his first event, “Porn and Chicken.” The concept — “a safe-haven for all things” — went global. The Monday night party loaded with chicken and world-class live DJs toured all 50 states — and even made it to China.
“Being a person of color and queer-identifying, I’ve always felt it necessary to create spaces for people to feel safe and exhilarated and free of judgment,” Brown said. “That’s kind of when I started producing events.”
Schroeder, Brown’s business partner, has also fabricated art installations across the country, Brown said. The event planner and installation creative joined forces — which made them the perfect match for starting Superfruit LLC.
They have worked together to create art installations and pop-ups for some of Chicago’s top brands including Lollapalooza, Spring Awakening Music Festival, the North Coast Music Festival and Red Bull.
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How a pandemic conversation got things started
One night during the pandemic changed everything. While having drinks with Brown after months in isolation, Schroeder brought his idea for a pop-up event joined by local community artists to the table.
“We stayed in that kitchen, drinking and talking and discussing this for hours and hours and hours on end,” Brown said. “I slammed my hands down on the table and I said, ‘I’ve got $25,000, let’s do this.'”
The next day, they went to the bank and withdrew the money, Brown said, laughing. The goal was to help artists get back to work, while exposing communities to local creatives. Their first pop-up in Chicago featured 15 local artists.
“Large conglomerates take these things like pop-ups and they go and they just come into a city and they don’t consult with anyone in the city or build what they’re doing around that city’s specific culture,” Brown said. “It was important that we add to the city rather than take away from the city. The true identity of Artopia is to enrich the arts community.”
‘Artopia: The Immersive Art Experience’
What: Immersive pop up art exhibition.
When: Starts March 18. Expected to run through May.
Where: LocationTBD.
Tickets: Starting at $29. VIP tickets available.
Details:https://feverup.com/m/109315
Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @sofia.krusmark.
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