Attractions industry news
13 Jul 2022
Industry mourns death of Meow Wolf co-founder, Matt King
Meow Wolf, the immersive arts and entertainment company, has announced the death of its co–founder, Matt King.
No further details of King’s death have been made public, though Meow Wolf’s Facebook page described it as “sudden".
King was an instrumental figure behind the company, which was launched in 2008 as an informal "DIY collective" of Santa Fe artists in New Mexico.
Since then, it has developed a distinctive style of immersive, maximalist environments that encourage audience participation.
In a statement on Facebook, Meo Wolf said: "The Meow Wolf community is devastated and in absolute shock by the sudden passing of Meow Wolf co-founder, artist and dearest friend Matt King. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family, friends and everyone who knows and loves him.
"Matt’s work as both a collaborator and artist was like no other: monumental, groundbreaking, otherworldly, and wild. This is a tremendous loss to the world. And we are tremendously grateful to have shared time and space with him.
"Matt is a wizard who is riding rainbows in the astral plane now. His spirit is no longer constrained by the physical limitations of this world, and we all are responsible for continuing to build what he began with us here.
"He was fearless and untameable. He dedicated his life to Meow Wolf and in turn, inspired thousands of artists and built the company that we have today. He cared deeply for the people around him and lived his life with an unbound passion for creating and collaborating.
"Matt was present at the very first Meow Wolf meeting in 2008 and, along with Quinn Tincher, created Meow Wolf’s first immersive art show before anyone at Meow Wolf even knew what immersive art was. Meow Wolf was part of Matt’s life purpose, which was to create a better world for humanity. He did that.
"Matt’s spirit will live on in our collective heart. We will continue to honor him by carrying his brilliance forward in our work and in our everyday lives. We love you Matt."
In a LinkedIn post, fellow Meow Wolf co-founder, Vince Kadlubek, wrote: "Matt was one of the most incredible human beings I’ve ever known. He was a brother, a collaborator on a spiritual level, and a dear friend. I’m devastated by this loss and am holding his brilliance close to me.
My thoughts and my condolences go out to his family, friends, and everyone who knew and loved this genius human.
"His spirit was truly miraculous. He infected people around him with belief and joy and excitement for the impossible. He had a love and an energy level that was otherworldly.
"Meow Wolf has been driven by his spirit since the first day we all met in 2008. He always pushed us to levels beyond imagination, envisioning stunning and monumental works that built the movement and the company we have today.
"He lived brighter than could be kept.
"He lived with a wild youthful energy that was barely contained.
"Matt King will be remembered as a pioneer of immersive art, a generational force of the imagination, a true legend and master of creative expression.
"He will be remembered for his ability to go on epic rants whenever he had the chance to!
"And he’ll be remembered as an overwhelmingly joyous and loving and unifying spirit to all of those around him.
"He wanted to make the world a better place. He wanted to help humanity. And he did.
"I love you Matt. And I hope we carry your incredible legacy forward however we can."
Meow Wolf's projects included Omega Mart, a permanent visitor attraction and art installation in Las Vegas, US.
The attraction, dubbed "America's most exceptional supermarket", features more than 250 art projects created by 325 artists.
Located at Area15 – an experiential, 200,000sq ft retail and entertainment centre – Omega Mart houses more than 60 unique environments that include installation-filled rooms, terrains, and "portals to other worlds". To read more about Omega Mart, click here.
To read a recent interview with Vince Kadlubek, co-founder of Meow Wolf, in Attractions Management, click here.
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