Meow Wolf Santa Fe opens new space for immersive art

Scene from Meow Wolf Santa Fe’s House of Eternal – Returning from its newest addition: Necro Techno Flesh Complex. Photo by Kate Russell/Courtesy of Meow Wolf

Scene from Meow Wolf Santa Fe’s “House of Eternal Return” from the latest addition: Necro Techno Flesh Complex. Photo by Kate Russell/Courtesy of Meow Wolf

Scene from Meow Wolf Santa Fe’s “House of Eternal Return” from the latest addition: Necro Techno Flesh Complex. Photo by Kate Russell/Courtesy of Meow Wolf

MEOW WOLF News:

SANTA FE — Meow Wolf Santa Fe’s House of Eternal Return continues to evolve with new artwork. The original Meow Wolf exhibition presents its newest addition: Necro Techno Flesh Complex, a fully immersive permanent installation by internationally acclaimed New Zealand-born artist Jess Johnson.

About the installation

In Necro Techno Flesh Complex, Johnson’s carefully hand-drawn worlds come to life in three dimensions, transforming the static into the dynamic. The installation is a sensory experience that draws visitors into a reality loop where the lines between imagination and reality blur. The intricate mosaics and hand-crafted columns retain a human quality that Johnson believes is essential to creating a living world.

The installation, a fusion of 2D drawings, 3D environments and digital animations, turns Johnson’s surreal worlds into a tangible, all-encompassing experience for visitors.

“We are constantly adding new installations to ensure that each guest has a unique experience each time they visit,” said Susan Garbett, General Manager of Meow Wolf Santa Fe. “Necro Techno Flesh Complex is a 360-degree journey into the imagination of a highly disciplined and fascinating artist.”

About the artist

Artist Jess Johnson. Photo by Kate Russell/Courtesy of Meow Wolf

“When I visited Meow Wolf, I felt like I was traveling back in time to my childhood,” Johnson says. “It was a strange way of interacting because I wasn’t really in the moment, but was imagining how I would react to the experience as a child.”

This childlike wonder and imagination are central to Johnson’s artistic practice, which she describes as a “slow dredging process.” Her creative process begins with drawings that slowly evolve into larger, more complex manifestations – be they installations, digital animations or even fashion.

The installation’s title, Necro Techno Flesh Complex, is an enigmatic mix of words that Johnson says have no obvious meaning. Rather, they are fragments of a reconstructed language inspired by Russell Hoban’s post-apocalyptic novel Riddley Walker, in which language itself is shattered and reassembled in a new form.

“If you want to create a new world, you need a new language to describe it,” explains Johnson.

Johnson’s journey to Meow Wolf is part of a larger personal and artistic adventure. After a year-long residency in the prestigious Roswell Artist In Residence Program (RAiR), she will return to Roswell in 2024 to settle more permanently. This move marks a significant shift for the artist, who has spent years traveling between residencies and creative spaces around the world.

“I want to make New Mexico my home,” Johnson reveals. “A year in Roswell was the longest I’ve spent in one place, and I wasn’t ready to leave. The landscape and the small community sparked something really good and peaceful in me.”

Visitors to Meow Wolf Santa Fe’s House of Eternal Return can explore the Necro Techno Flesh Complex and experience the surreal, otherworldly environments that have made Johnson one of the most fascinating artists of her generation. The installation is now open to the public and promises to provide a unique and transformative experience for all visitors.