Philadelphia's Mosaic Magic

In South Street's shimmering mosaics and winding grottoes, artist Isaiah Zagar has, piece by piece, created a spellbinding work of art

- By TEJA LELE

Vincent Van Gogh once famously said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” The story of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens reflects this in many ways.

In 2001, Philadelphia artist Isaiah Zagar visited Chandigarh with his family, where they saw Nek Chand’s extraordinary work, the Rock Garden. The visit to the 40-acre mosaic landscape, crafted from broken crockery, bangles, pipes, and discarded materials, led to a moment of deep artistic kinship.

Years later, Zagar invited Nek Chand to Philadelphia to see his own mosaic masterpiece. Chand named it ‘Sheesh Mahal’, or the Palace of Mirrors. Today, his name is immortalised in tiles on the walls of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, a shimmering sanctuary where mirror fragments catch sunlight and tell stories.

Located on Philadelphia’s South Street, the Magic Gardens seem subtle as you walk in. A glint of mirror catches the sunlight. Then another appears. And another. Before long, you see that every surface—walls, sidewalks, alleyways, even trash cans is adorned with intricate mosaics that shimmer in the light. Embedded in the surfaces are bicycle wheels, broken china, pottery fragments, and painted figures, all woven together into a kaleidoscopic chronicle of Isaiah Zagar life, memories, and imagination.