What if a shopping mall could completely rewire how you experience art? Tucked inside Scottsdale Fashion Square, Wonderspaces Arizona is a rotating gallery of large-scale, immersive art installations that challenge your senses, blur the lines between viewer and participant, and make you question what “going to a museum” even means. What began as a pop-up artistic experience in California, Wonderspaces is now in its first permanent location in Arizona.
Wonderspaces partners with artists from around the world to present extraordinary and accessible art for all audiences to enjoy with family and friends. Over 300,000 visitors have attended shows in Scottsdale and the southwestern United States. This is not your typical white-walled gallery — it’s a full-on sensory adventure.
What to Expect Inside
Located at Scottsdale Fashion Square, this innovative gallery features a rotating collection of large-scale, interactive installations that engage the senses and challenge perceptions. Unlike traditional museums with hands-off policies, Wonderspaces encourages visitors to touch, interact, and even become part of the artwork. Each installation is designed to be fully immersive, using elements like light, sound, movement, and virtual reality to create thought-provoking and visually stunning exhibits — whether you’re stepping into a room of infinite reflections, walking through a glowing tunnel of changing colors, or experiencing a mesmerizing projection mapping display.
Spanning 16,000 square feet, the space showcases around 14 thought-provoking pieces of art that are regularly rotated to ensure a constantly evolving show. Because the installations rotate regularly, no two visits to Wonderspaces are the same — past exhibits have included everything from mind-bending optical illusions to large-scale kinetic sculptures, ensuring that each experience is fresh.
Standout Installations
One of the most talked-about pieces, Submergence by Squidsoup, is an immersive installation comprised of 8,064 individual points of light that visitors can walk through. The lights continually change colors in correspondence to music, creating awe-inspiring feelings of movement within the physical space. It’s the kind of installation you’ll want to linger in — and photograph from every angle.
Human Study #1, 3RNP is an installation reminiscent of a life drawing class, where participants take the sitter’s role and are sketched by three robot portrait artists in real time. It’s simultaneously hilarious and fascinating to watch a machine interpret the human form.
The Immigrant by Michael Murphy is a striking 3D halftone sculpture — when you view the 2,300 wooden balls from 40 feet away, you see an image of the artist’s partner, Natasha Vladimirova. This work calls attention to the positive contributions immigrants make to our communities. It’s the kind of piece that hits differently the moment the image snaps into focus from a distance.
HOSHI V.2 is a depiction of infinite space, utilizing light, mirrors, and sound to engage visitors into an immersive, large-scale experience. It seeks to depict a sense of the future by blurring the lines between the real and virtual, with the goal of making the technology as invisible as possible so viewers can fully immerse themselves.
Then there are the Blooms — 3D-printed sculptures designed to animate when spun under a strobe light. The rotational speed and strobe frequency are synchronized so that one flash occurs every time the sculpture turns 137.5 degrees, which is the angular expression of the golden ratio. It’s the kind of mathematically precise artistry that feels magical in person.
Cocktails & the Full Experience
The space also has a full bar, inviting visitors to enjoy craft cocktails as they explore the exhibits. Signature cocktails, mocktails, and snacks are available for purchase, making this equally well-suited for a date night as it is for a family afternoon outing. Sipping a handcrafted drink while wandering through a tunnel of pulsing light? That’s an evening worth planning for.
Atmosphere & Setting
Visitors can expect an immersive and laid-back atmosphere where they can explore extraordinary artwork with friends and family. The experience offers an Instagram-worthy setting with mesmerizing immersive light installations throughout the space. The self-guided format means you move at your own pace — no rushing, no tour group to keep up with.
The venue’s interactive setup allows for exploration at one’s own pace, creating an enjoyable atmosphere. Positioned within Fashion Square Mall, some visitors note that while it’s an unexpected location with escalators nearby, it remains accessible and convenient. The surprise of finding a world-class immersive art experience inside a shopping mall is, honestly, part of the charm.
Wonderspaces Arizona is wheelchair and stroller accessible, and service animals are allowed, making it a genuinely inclusive experience. There is no dress code — visitors can wear comfortable clothing that allows for easy movement through the immersive art exhibits.
Other Considerations
What does it cost to get in? Ticket prices start at $25 for adults and $15 for kids ages 3 to 12. Premium tickets offer flexible entry and re-entry multiple times on the same day. Seniors, active military, veterans, healthcare workers, teachers, and students can get discounted admission with a valid form of identification. Visitors under the age of three don’t require a ticket. A portion of visitors feel that pricing is on the higher end relative to the number of installations, so it’s worth checking the current lineup before you book to make sure it aligns with your expectations.
Is it good for kids? Wonderspaces is appropriate for everyone and all ages are encouraged to attend. Children under 16 require adult supervision, and children under 3 can attend for free. Visiting with a mixed group of friends and family — young and old alike — tends to be a big hit.
How long should I plan to spend there? Typically, it takes visitors 75 to 90 minutes to view all the attractions and exhibits. That said, if you’re the type to linger in each installation and soak it all in, you could easily stretch it to two hours — especially with a cocktail in hand.
When’s the best time to visit? Planning your visit during weekdays tends to result in a quieter experience, giving you more space and time with each installation without weekend crowds. It’s also a fantastic activity during Arizona’s scorching summers, when getting indoors with something engaging is a genuine priority.
What about parking? Valet parking and additional complimentary parking are available at Scottsdale Fashion Square. Getting there is easy, and you can always make a full day of it by combining the visit with a meal or some shopping in the surrounding mall.
Do I need to book in advance? The last entry window is 60 minutes before closing, and all tickets must be purchased online in advance. Visitors with photosensitive epilepsy should also be aware that some installations feature flashing and strobing lights.
Wonderspaces Arizona
📍 7014 E Camelback Rd, Suite 584, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Website: https://arizona.wonderspaces.com
