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New Las Vegas Gallery Offers Showcase for Iconic Steampunk Octopus

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Editor's note: It appears that Transfix closed in early June.

A massive outdoor gallery featuring Burning Man-style art installations has opened on the Las Vegas Strip, and for the next two weeks it will be home to El Pulpo Magnifico, a fire-spewing mechanical octopus created by Duane Flatmo. It’s the new and improved successor to Flatmo’s El Pulpo Mechanico, known for appearances at Burning Man and other events.

Transfix, the new gallery, takes up four acres near Resorts World Las Vegas. It currently features works by 39 artists, including many first seen at Burning Man, along with artist-designed lounges and speakeasies.

Aside from the octopus, other notable works include:

The Tunnel, a series of 13-foot-tall illuminated “cosmic structures” by Paul Magnuson, Matthew Waddell, and Devin Gile.

• Marco Cochrane’s R-Evolution, a 45-foot tall kinetic steel-mesh sculpture of a woman;

As Above, So Below, a 25-foot mirrored pyramid by Kate Raudenbush;

• Playmodes’ Stellar, which uses visuals and sound to create an illusion of intergalactic space travel;

Ilumina, a 37-foot-tall sculpture by Pablo González Vargas that uses the biometrics of visitors to create a light and sound experience;

• Christian Ristow’s Hand Of Man, an eight-meter long mechanical hand and forearm that can be controlled by visitors wearing a glove.

Honeypot, a 19-foot-tall sculpture by Anya Zaytseva modeled after Japanese tetsubin cast-iron teapots.

The gallery was conceived by Michael Blatter and Tom Stinchfield of Mirrorball, an agency in New York City that produces marketing campaigns and large-scale events.

“It’s very difficult to sell these pieces or to get them into museums or galleries,” Stinchfield told The Hollywood Reporter. “In most cases, they literally don’t fit.”

El Pulpo Magnifico at Burning Man in 2022.

Flatmo first demonstrated El Pulpo Magnifico at the 2022 Burning Man gathering, and later brought it to events in San Bernardino and Eureka, California. He built it with proceeds from the sale of El Pulpo Mechanico to a buyer in Austin, Texas in 2021.

Like its predecessor, El Pulpo Magnifico features moving tentacles that blast flames in beat to music from a built-in sound system.

Show Times and Tickets

Transfix is scheduled to run through September at the current location, 3000 South Las Vegas Blvd., after which its stay could be extended, or it could move to another city. Stinchfield said the organizers hope to bring it to Los Angeles and Austin. If it’s profitable, they hope to use proceeds to commission new art projects.

The gallery is open from 7 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday, and until 1 a.m. Friday through Sunday. The organizers estimate that it takes 90 to 120 minutes to tour all the installations. It’s an all-ages event until 10 p.m., after which guests must be 21 or older to be admitted. Adult tickets cost $59.

Learn more on the website.

Related: Burning Man-Inspired Outdoor Art Gallery Transfix Opens in Las Vegas (The Hollywood Reporter)

The Largest Touring Immersive Art Experience Is Bringing 50 Burning Man Style Sculptures to Las Vegas Before It Hits the Road (Artnet)

Event info: 

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