By Megan Sullivan
Executive Arts Editor
The largest illusion present in the “Museum of Illusion” is the idea that the two-story building filled with vibrantly painted walls resembles anything near a museum.
Despite the diverse array of expertly painted illusions, the “Museum of Illusion” greatly disappoints with a lack of purpose, information, and organization, making it a complete waste of money and effort. Although the museum had high potential with its unique focus, the “Museum of Illusion” falls flat with its poor execution.
The “Museum of Illusion” opened on Jan. 1 and contains over 30 walls and hallways painted with various optical illusions that visitors can stand next to and take their pictures with. Similarly styled to the “Museum of Ice Cream,” the “Museum of Illusion,” started by Big Funny, an entertainment company, aims to create perfect photo opportunities for people of all ages.
The museum has artwork from various artists, which is evident in the mix of styles and focuses throughout the museum. On one wall features an illusion meant to make it look like visitors are posing with the Statue of Liberty next to another illusion of a couple stepping out of a picture frame. The wide range of subject matters within the museum keeps visitors engaged since there is little to no repetition between each illusion.
Additionally, the illusions are extremely precise and detailed, demonstrating the skill of the artists who participated in creating the “Museum of Illusion.” The artists successfully utilized the space they were given by expanding their drawings on to the floors in order to make the illusions more realistic. The artist’s’ attention to detail makes the museum much more enjoyable since even without visitors posing with the paintings, there was still a lot to look at.
Despite the impressive artwork, the rest of the museum fails drastically due to the lack of organization. There is no information about who the artists are, what the illusion is called, or even any history about optical illusions in general, making the fact that it is called the “Museum of Illusions” almost comical.
Although there were guides on the floor to show visitors where to stand to take their pictures in order to get the best shot, there were no staff members positioned throughout the museum to keep the crowd moving. This caused massive amounts of people to group up in front of the more popular illusions, making it impossible for visitors to get photos, which was the entire focus of the museum.
The museum is created to get that “perfect” instagram photo, which is evident in the lack of intriguing aspects of the museum. Although photo opportunities could be an additional bonus to a museum, when it is the primary focus of one, it completely diminishes the experience. Visitors leaving the museum are disappointed by the idea of spended $25 to just take photos.
Overall, despite a refreshing new idea with potential, the “Museum of Illusions” is a complete failure due to a lack of information, focus and stimulating content, making it a waste of money, time and patience.
The museum is located at 6751 Hollywood Blvd. Tickets are $25 and are available for purchase on eventbrite.com. For more information visit the museum’s instagram page @museum_of_illusion.
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