Matisyahu cancellation isn’t what Meow Wolf is about
For several weeks I’ve found myself stewing over Matisyahu’s canceled show at Meow Wolf. Not because I’m a particular fan of Matisyahu, but because I am a big fan of Meow Wolf.
Meow Wolf describes itself as a multiverse, and what better description could there be for this dynamic and labyrinthian dreamscape? The first time I entered the House of Eternal Return, shortly after it opened, I was literally placed in an altered state of consciousness. Wandering through the various rooms, I became so accustomed to the weird and unexpected, that at one point I saw someone out of the corner of my eye and vaguely assumed it was an alien being. Looking again, I realized it was just a very tall human, but the exhibit had somehow inured me to the incomprehensible and prepared me to encounter something alien with acceptance. At its best, Meow Wolf gestures to the unlimited possibility of creation. We are reminded of the ever-reaching human endeavor to imagine what lies beyond our own limited perspective.
A more critical observer might argue Meow Wolf represents pop-art at its most self-indulgent. That it lacks the subtlety and depth to penetrate beyond the initial shock and awe of the experience. I’ve always rejected this view in the past, believing the sheer breadth and diversity of the experience made up for any lack of depth. But the recent incident with Matisyahu has me wondering.
How expansive are these visions? How much unfettered imagination can exist in a community that will not allow the creative expression of an artist who diverges from their own consensus view on one of the most vexing international conundrums of our age? What kind of multiverse is this, to be so cloistered and narrowly defined?
The interplay between art and politics is not straightforward. Art has the ability to reveal what is complex and nuanced in politics. It can inspire us to empathize with perspectives that are foreign to us. But it can just as easily provoke our more tribalistic instincts and our more simplistic, reactionary tendencies. Art does not necessarily inspire our better angels.
But the optimist in me can’t help but hope artists on either side of an ideological divide can recognize the common human experience of anguish, of love, of ecstasy, of despair that is revealed through artistic expression. Art, even at its most parochial, contains a common human element that transcends political orthodoxy. Difficult though it is, we can each endeavor to recognize and revere the wellspring from which an artist draws inspiration, even when the political perspectives of that artist are anathema to our own. It’s never easy to balance our ideological commitments with the broader principles of political pluralism. But shouldn’t a community of artists who champion the multiverse commit themselves to the multitudinous expression of human, if not alien, perspectives?
I hope that upon greater reflection, the beautiful and passionate community of artists that is Meow Wolf decide to issue an apology to Matisyahu. This should not undermine their particular values or commitments to the causes they hold dear. But it would go a long way toward confirming their commitment to creative expression in a pluralistic universe.