In the seven years since the Museum of Ice Cream first unleashed sprinkle-filled selfies upon L.A., you might’ve grown a bit wary of the wave of “Museum”-titled immersive imitators that followed. I know I certainly have.
But sometimes these sorts of events can transcend their made-for-Instagram appearances, and that’s certainly the case at the new Balloon Museum. Soundstage-sized installations from 21 artists have floated their way into Ace Mission Studios; all of them are inspired by air in some way, many of them are hands-on and—maybe most importantly—the vast majority are undeniably fun.
Is it a proper museum exhibition? “Let’s Fly”—one of the Emily in Paris-featured touring show’s three different presentations, and the one currently on display on the Boyle Heights side of the L.A. River—absolutely thinks so. Each photogenic piece is credited to a named artist, and you’ll find wall text with materials and a brief summary. There’s an element of acquisitions and curation behind it, too: Myeongbeom Kim’s Balloon Tree predates the event entirely, and Christopher Schardt’s Mariposa, a colorful LED flapping butterfly, makes its L.A. debut after debuting at Burning Man last year.
All that said, I think you’ll find the Balloon Museum most enjoyable if you think of it less like a LACMA exhibition and more like an aesthetically-polished playground—albeit one that starts at an admittedly pricey $39 for California residents. There are some peak art-as-backdrop scenes here, whether that’s trying to stay grounded inside of a trippy LED tunnel or gazing into the abyss inside a mirrored chamber filled with silvery spheres.
But the Balloon Museum is at its best when you’re doing something. You can push Motorefisico’s appropriately-titled Swing, stare into the trumpet-like trunks of the inflatable faces in Eness’s Heffalumps and Woozles-esque Spiritus Sonata and bonk Rub Kandy’s bouncy Ginjos, a blacklit room of Minions-like mascots that rebound when you push them.
There are some wildly fun and photogenic standouts here. Perpetual Ballet, a piece from Hyperstudio and Mauro Pace, puts you in the center of a very windy vortex of projection-covered balloons. ADA, maybe the most intriguing installation in the entire show, allows you to push a giant clear, graphite-tipped balloon around a white room; after it’s all marked up, Karina Smigla-Bobinski will repurpose the walls into a separate piece. And Hyperstellar, a collaboration between Hyperstudio, Quiet Ensemble and Roman Hill, is unlike any ball pit you’ve ever seen. With a million mini balls below and a ceiling of 17,000 balloons, this black voids catch highlights from the bright visualizations along the walls, which pulsate along to music. There’s enough room for 200 people to dive in here; don’t worry, the balls are refreshed every two weeks, and there’s a proper lost and found if your belongings plunge into the abyss of balls.
Timed tickets for the Balloon Museum are currently on sale through mid-March 2025 (Mon–Thu 1–7pm, Fri 11am–9pm, Sat 10am–9pm, Sun 10am–8pm). They start at $39 for California residents and $42 for everyone else—though those prices tick up another $5 on weekends. It’s certainly pricier than any actual museums, but if you don’t mind paying a premium for an hour or two of hands-on fun, it’s a worthwhile expense.