​Beverly Hills Second Annual BOLD Holiday Season Features Visual Artist Alexa Meade’s Pop-Up Exhibition

(Photo credit:Ruksana Hussain)

Beverly Hills’ BOLD Holidays launched this month with the debut of interactive artist Alexa Meade’s whimsical and innovative art exhibition, Immersed in Wonderland. Meade has transformed nearly 3,000 square feet of space located at 262 North Rodeo Drive into the pop-up, featuring three-dimensional painted holiday vignettes, which create the illusion of a two-dimensional painting when photographed. You can explore these vignettes, interact and touch them, and become part of the artwork. Each vignette offers a different color theme and its own matching painted clothing and accessories that can be worn. 

Some of the painted accessories to style for one of the vignettes by the artist. (Photo credit:Ruksana Hussain)

Immersed in Wonderland fuses these vignettes together, which include a periwinkle enchanted forest, a cozy living room with plush furniture, an emerald green dining space with a tea pot, plates and cups, an electric blue foyer and a ruby red playroom, all pulled together by a grand piano that anyone can play. On November 30 and December 14, Meade will be at the pop-up space in person, painting live models.
 
When Meade is not present, docents are available to lead engaging tours of the vibrant space. The art exhibition is free and open to the public for a limited time through December 23 on Monday-Saturday, 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. All the images here are from the VIP kick-off organized to launch the winter edition of programming for the Beverly Hills Open Later Days event.

One of several backdrops by the artist within the same space. (Photo credit:Ruksana Hussain)

If you get a chance to head out to see Meade in action, positively do. It is an experience unlike any other. Meade painted a live model at the special event launch as well. The model was a pianist and proceeded to play the piano after he was painted upon. To see her artwork in real time was a treat in itself but then to watch the pianist play was as if the whole painting was set in motion…truly art that’s moves, in different ways! 
 
Meade has collaborated with space-time researchers at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, created illusions with the world-renowned magician David Blaine, painted on the body of pop superstar Ariana Grande for her iconic God is a Woman music video and led her inspiring TEDGlobal talk titled Your Body is My Canvas, which has been viewed over a million times.

The artist at work, painting gone of the models at the VIP event. The entire painting of the model from start to finish was done onsite in front of attendees. (Photo credit:Ruksana Hussain)

In addition to Meade’s Immersed in Wonderland art exhibition, BOLD Holidays has extended shopping hours and live entertainment every Friday and Saturday evening through December 22. The festive entertainment includes the West Coast debut of QuinCoach’s motorcycle coaches on December 14, 15, 21 and 22—one featuring 50,000 sparkling crystals; the return of BOLD rides throughout Beverly Hills’ Golden Triangle in exotic and luxury cars provided by Midway Car Rental; holiday music in Beverly Canon Gardens; live fashion art and ice sculpting on Rodeo Drive, holiday art walks lead by curatorial professionals as well as plenty of photo opportunities such as Rodeo Drive’s Peace Wall. 

Always a fun venue for families and a great spot if you are visiting from elsewhere, share your pictures here with me if you do go!

The grand finale - the painted model playing the piano, setting the painting in motion! (Photo credit:Ruksana Hussain)