By Alexandre Lemieux, Creos
As shopping centers and multifunctional spaces evolve to meet increasingly complex demands — such as incorporating mixed-use development, fostering authenticity and creating emotional connection — art is emerging as a powerful, yet underused strategic lever. It’s more than decoration. It redefines how spaces are experienced, used, and remembered.
Through permanent installations, rotating exhibits or interactive experiences, art offers shopping center managers a fresh, high-impact way to create memorable, differentiated destinations that drive foot traffic and foster community.
Interactive Art: Your Secret Weapon
Today’s audiences crave more than products — they want emotion, authenticity and something they’ve never seen before. Interactive art answers this need by transforming visitors from spectators into participants.
Whether it’s a responsive light sculpture, an immersive digital tunnel or a community-created mural, interaction builds emotional connection, boosts dwell time and sparks organic content on social media.
A Strategic Advantage You Can’t Ignore
As e-commerce continues to reshape retail’s transactional core, art becomes a long-term investment in community wellbeing and economic vitality. By reimagining malls as living, cultural ecosystems — where art plays an active, evolving role — you redefine their mission for the 21st century.
What if the real value of your property was measured in shared emotions and unforgettable moments?
Proof in Action: Art as a Strategic Asset For Malls Looking To Stand Out
In an era where online shopping reshapes consumer habits, two visionary retail destinations are proving that art isn’t just decoration — it’s differentiation.
In France, Promenade Riviera partnered with cultural heavyweight Jérôme Sans — co-founder of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris — to curate a disruptive art experience at the heart of the shopping venue. The result: an immersive installation by Lilian Bourgeat, where oversized everyday objects capture attention, spark imagination and turn a visit into a cultural event.
In Tokyo, Ginza Six redefined what a luxury retail destination can be. Developed in collaboration with the prestigious Mori Art Museum, the center showcases both permanent and rotating public art installations. Its debut included 14 of Yayoi Kusama’s iconic polka-dotted pumpkins suspended in the central atrium — an unforgettable fusion of luxury and avant-garde artwork. Other highlights include works by Japanese artists Shinji Ohmaki, Misa Funai and Yuumi Domoto, along with a towering vertical garden by botanist Patrick Blanc and a mesmerizing digital waterfall by international art collective teamLab.
These initiatives show that when malls embrace immersive, high-impact art, they don’t just attract foot traffic — they create destinations worth discovering and amplify place identity.
Consider the potential of interactive art to transform your space. It can be a powerful tool to build emotional connections, increase engagement and create memorable experiences. Let’s discuss how art can strategically enhance your property's value and attract more visitors.
Dive in and start the journey by contacting alexandre.lemieux@creos.io.
Photo at top of Mi Casa, Your Casa 2.0 courtesy of Oakbrook Center, Chicago