A new interactive art gallery located at the historic Socorro Mission Trail (EL PASO, Texas) is officially open to the public and offers an experience unlike others.

Paradox Immersive Art is a vibrant, interactive gallery where you become a part of the art through digital projections and art installations.

“The space in general kind of looks like this mystic desert space where people think ‘Wow, where am I?’ It’s kind of like traveling but within your own city limits,” said Laura Turón, local artist and founder of Paradox Immersive Art gallery.

The outdoor gallery showcases art by Laura Turón and features artist David Delgado.

“Little by little, it started growing and that’s when I invited David Delgado to create his projection art installation and exhibit it out here,” Turón shared. “The cool thing is that the space is outdoors so it’s kind of compliant with COVID and good for social distancing, we have a lot of space. That’s how this all came about. Just little by little, setting up my studio and the nature of my art, we became this immersive art gallery.”

Paradox Immersive Art made its grand opening debut in the beginning of August, however the installations found at the gallery have been works in progress since 2017.

“The concept of all the pieces is that they’re ephemeral and that they can be installed anywhere,” said Turón.

Turón shared how she started building the Paradox traveling art bus in 2017 and from then on began creating different art installations that are immersive – inviting an opportunity for people to participate in community art.

“The bus itself, to just convert it from what it used to be, an old school bus, that one took an entire year and that’s when I was barely starting so it was mainly just on my own and with volunteers,” Turón said.

One of the installations that immediately catches your eye once you enter the gallery is the Paradox Pyramid. Turón describes the project as a huge puzzle and the pieces built connect together to create the pyramid. It was first featured at Chalk the Block in 2018, “This pyramid took about two to three and a half months to complete, but working 16 hours a day because we wanted to set it up at Chalk the Block.”

“When she moved to this space, I was helping her build the pyramid and I could see the potential right away. When people came in, they liked the installations and I told her about setting up my projections here so we decided to go for it,” said David Delgado, local artist featured at Paradox Immersive Art.

The newest project art installation featured at the gallery is interactive as well and users can control images they see with a dashboard. Turon explains that the piece combines concepts of art and science, “That’s my newest piece, and I collaborated with David Delgado, the featured artists, and students from the EM lab at UTEP.”

Delgado’s installation at the gallery is a digital projection called “Sinestésico” (Synesthesiac) which is based on synesthesia, a rare neurological disorder that affects different senses that get tied to each other. In the case of Delgado’s installation, he configured audio and visual senses.

“I never knew how to draw growing up, but this was the way that I could create art, with technology and with our own movement,” Delgado shared, “A lot of the things I touch are a little bit existential. Things that remind me of real life, so purposely my installation is ephemeral. It only lasts as long as the interaction, and it requires the interaction to exist.”

Both artists said they’ve seen many people come and experience the gallery since its grand opening.

“I think it’s my favorite thing to watch people come in and see them be mesmerized by all the installations and interact with all of them,” Delgado said.

The gallery can be found inside of Hacienda Apodaca (10180 Socorro Rd.) It’s right across the street from Casa Ortiz and Three Missions brewery, creating a trifecta of activities people can experience all together.

Turón said one of her concepts as an artist it to make art accessible for everyone, and to install or take art in areas that have limited to no access to art.

“When people decide to come over here and support us, we’re able to stay open, continue growing and do more things,” Turón shared.

“Community art has always been a huge aspect of Laura’s work and something that I related to right away. It’s something that I’ve always been into,” Delgado added. “So it’s really nice to be able to bring it out here outside where you’d normally see a gallery like this and bring it to other communities.”

Both artists agree that success can come from surrounding yourself with those who make you feel inspired, be creative, and encourage others to do the same, “Sometimes all it takes is reaching out, believing in yourself and not being afraid,” Turón.

“As a community, we can’t get very far by ourselves, but together we can really create change,” Delgado added.

Paradox Immersive Art is now open from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays. You can follow the gallery on Instagram @paradoximmersiveart. To follow Laura Turón, you can find her on Instagram @turonlaura and David Delgado @mister_self_destruct.

To get tickets, click here.

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