Mosaicked alleyways unfurl like ribbons in Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. Bottles, bicycle wheels and assorted dinnerware protruded from the walls, which were coloured in muted pinks and Arctic blues. Human effigies broke through the patterns: contorted faces with their eyes askew and bodiless arms reaching out as if in greeting. Occasionally I'd catch my own reflection in a constellation of mirrored tiles.
This riot of glass, ceramics and found objects is a long-standing installation by Isaiah Zagar, a mosaic artist and Philadelphia native who is something of a legend in these parts. His work spills from the confines of the Magic Gardens, an indoor-outdoor gallery open to the public since 2008, and pools into the city streets. It's just one fragment of the textured Philly arts scene that I was here to discover.
Philadelphia is arguably better known for its Revolutionary-era history than its art, but its creator-led spaces and packed ‘Museum Mile’ should command equal attention.
