Artist Danae Brissonnet has unveiled ‘The Temple of a Thousand Stories’—a dreamlike, immersive installation brimming with vibrant color, monumental sculpture, and fantastical storytelling, at Meow Wolf’s House Of Eternal Return in Santa Fe. Courtesy/Meow Wolf
Meow Wolf News:
SANTA FE — Open now at Meow Wolf’s House Of Eternal Return in Santa Fe, internationally renowned artist Danae Brissonnet has unveiled “The Temple of a Thousand Stories”—a dreamlike, immersive installation brimming with vibrant color, monumental sculpture, and fantastical storytelling. It’s not every day a permanent installation opens at Meow Wolf’s original location, marking a particularly special occasion of the spectacular with Brissonnet’s work.
Originally from Quebec and known for her bold, folkloric aesthetic and surreal, large-scale murals around the world—from Mexico City to Kathmandu, New Orleans to Casablanca—Brissonnet creates art that bridges mythology, culture, and community. Her new work at Meow Wolf marks her most ambitious sculptural and narrative installation to date.
The journey begins in a “maze to infinity” stairwell that opens into a surreal cosmology. Guests pass beneath a radiant Sun of Birth and encounter giant lobster-mermaids, three-headed phoenixes, insects of metamorphosis, and rainbow-split snakes—guarded by fire keepers and guided by symbolism drawn from ancestral stories and the Santa Fe desert itself. As Danae puts it, the piece is “a dream you walk through with your whole body.”
This vibrant cosmos was brought to life in collaboration with Thai sculptor Kumpa Tawornprom, whose expertise in materials like styrofoam, epoxy, fiberglass, and lighting helped Brissonnet integrate movement for the first time. Puppetry animates the space—echoing her background in theater and folk ritual—adding an emotional, kinetic dimension that pushes her practice into new territory.
Brissonnet’s work resonates with the spirit of artistic rebellion. Her work, bursting with unapologetic color and metaphor, strives for that kind of freedom. “Even if people don’t understand the whole story,” she says, “I hope they feel something—a sense of wonder, or sadness, or joy. Something they carry with them after they leave.”
Rooted in her grandmother’s embroidery and enriched by traditions from Morocco, Mexico, and Nepal, Brissonnet’s art becomes a language of accessibility and connection—offering workshops in underserved communities around the world and leaving behind not just murals, but shared mythologies. In Santa Fe, that vision culminates in The Temple of a Thousand Stories—a place where land, people, and spirit intertwine.
About Meow Wolf
Meow Wolf is much more than your typical arts and entertainment company; they’re the creators of extraordinary, mind-bending experiences that transport millions of adventurers of all ages into breathtaking realms of imagination and wonder. As the proud recipients of numerous accolades, including Time Out’s #1 Immersive Experience in the US (2023), Fast Company’s World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies (2024, 2022 and 2020), and USA Today’s Top 10 Best Immersive Art Experiences (2022), Meow Wolf is committed to engaging curious seekers through the magic of discovery and play. They are distinct in their collaboration with hundreds of visionary artists who infuse creativity into every Meow Wolf experience.
The journey began with the THEA Award-winning House Of Eternal Return in Santa Fe (2016), a mystery house with hidden passages and mesmerizing art exhibits. In Las Vegas, Omega Mart (2021) presented a surreal grocery store experience. Denver’s Convergence Station (2021) appeared as a maximalist architectural marvel linking four alien worlds. Meow Wolf unveiled Webby Award-winning The Real Unreal (2023) in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Meow Wolf’s fifth and newest location Radio Tave, a community radio station that spans dimensions, opened on Halloween of 2024 in Houston, with their sixth location opening in Los Angeles in 2026. As a certified B-Corporation, Meow Wolf leads in themed entertainment, innovating and celebrating human imagination. All are invited to join a journey that defies convention, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.