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A Giant Interactive Art Playground Is Popping Up in Austin This Summer

Balloon Museum’s immersive exhibition “Let’s Fly – Art Has No Limits” brings balloon sculptures and dreamlike installations to Austin

“Swing” by Motorefisico, an interactive installation featured in the Balloon Museum’s “Let’s Fly – Art Has No Limits” exhibition, opening June 21, 2025, in Austin. (Photo courtesy of Balloon Museum)
“Swing” by Motorefisico, an interactive installation featured in the Balloon Museum’s “Let’s Fly – Art Has No Limits” exhibition, opening June 21, 2025, in Austin. (Photo courtesy of Balloon Museum)

Beginning June 21, a 65,000-square-foot exhibition of inflatable sculptures, light-based installations, and interactive art will open inside the former Louis Shanks building at 2930 W. Anderson Lane. Titled “Let’s Fly – Art Has No Limits,” the immersive show marks the Balloon Museum’s first appearance in Texas and runs through November 2.

Created by Italy-based Lux Entertainment, “Let’s Fly” brings together 19 international artists who explore air as a medium: as something that lifts, transforms, and connects. The show blends tech and sensory play with striking visual art, anchored by themes of lightness, motion and imagination.

“Austin’s spirit of creativity and its reputation as a hub for innovation makes it the natural choice for Balloon Museum’s next chapter in the United States,” said Lux founder Roberto Fantauzzi. “In a city where art and technology intertwine, we are excited to cultivate a space that celebrates imagination but also challenges the way people experience and interact with art.”

Visitors interact with Christopher Schardt’s “Mariposa,” a 26-foot butterfly sculpture
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Visitors interact with Christopher Schardt’s “Mariposa,” a 26-foot butterfly sculpture. (Photo courtesy of Balloon Museum)
“Her Joy” by Alex Schweder features a mirrored, breathing sphere that reflects light and movement, inviting viewers into a meditative experience.
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“Her Joy” by Alex Schweder features a mirrored, breathing sphere that reflects light and movement, inviting viewers into a meditative experience. (Photo courtesy of Balloon Museum)
“ADA” by Karina Smigla-Bobinski is a kinetic sculpture that creates charcoal drawings on surrounding surfaces as it moves through space.
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“ADA” by Karina Smigla-Bobinski is a kinetic sculpture that creates charcoal drawings on surrounding surfaces as it moves through space.(Photo courtesy of Balloon Museum)
“Hyperstellar” by Hyperstudio is an aerial light installation exploring perception, motion, and gravity through synchronized movement and immersive visuals.
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“Hyperstellar” by Hyperstudio is an aerial light installation exploring perception, motion, and gravity through synchronized movement and immersive visuals.(Photo courtesy of Balloon Museum)

Interactive art installations at the Balloon Museum

Among the works on view: a 26-foot LED butterfly by “Burning Man” artist Christopher Schardt that guests can swing beneath, activating a kaleidoscope of lights and sound. There’s a dreamy cityscape from muralist Camilla Falsini, mirrored spheres that breathe and reflect in Alex Schweder’s “Her Joy,” a balloon tree by Myeongbeom Kim, and the hypnotic quiet of rotating metal rings in SpY’s “ZEROS.” Visitors can also walk through VR dream worlds, animate a kinetic drawing machine with their own movements, and meet silent inflatable creatures that bob and react.

Other participating artists include Cyril Lancelin, Tadao Cern, Sasha Frolova, Sila Sveta, Quiet Ensemble, Lucas Zanotto, Rub Kandy, and Karina Smigla-Bobinski, whose piece “ADA” uses charcoal to draw on the walls as it’s nudged and moved around the room.

The large-scale piece invites movement and play as part of the 65,000-square-foot immersive art experience.
The large-scale piece, “AI Data Portal” by Ouchhh, invites movement and play as part of the 65,000-square-foot immersive art experience. (Photo courtesy of Balloon Museum)

Tickets for the Balloon Museum in Austin

Founded in Rome in 2021, the Balloon Museum has become a global phenomenon, with exhibitions like “Pop Air” and “EmotionAir” drawing more than 7 million visitors across Europe and the U.S. The “Let’s Fly” installation marks the next evolution, combining elements of sculpture, data art, architecture, and play.

Balloon Museum Austin will be open from 2–8 p.m. Monday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Saturdays, and 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $50.84 for adults, $47.48 for teens ages 13 to 17, and $38.57 for children ages 4 to 12. Tickets are available on their website.

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