by Bea Broda, Outta Town Adventures, July 25, 2022:
I was 17 the first time I laid eyes on an original Vincent Van Gogh painting at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. There was nothing particularly urgent or meaningful about the painting - it was one from his sunflower series, but it sent tingles up and down my spine all the same. That a simple depiction of a vase of sunflowers, (or Chrysanthemums, as the Queen Mother would once refer to them,) could incite an emotional reaction is the magic of Van Gogh.
He died in Arles in 1890 and would certainly be surprised to see that, over a hundred years later, his art inspired what’s being called Immersive Van Gogh - a massive multimedia exhibit where the viewer is engulfed in his art as it spirals into form and is beamed throughout a 600,000 cubic foot space. Giant projections swirl his famous creations to life, accompanied by music that accentuates the ennui for which the artist is famous.
People were walking around the space to take in the massive display from different angles, some sat on benches or chairs, and others sat right on the floor to get a full immersion into the genius of Van Gogh’s most notable works. I loved how his signature colors and swirls mingled with a variety of self-portraits and no shortage of starry starry nights. This large scale sound and light extravaganza is such a different way to experience and feel art, and Immersive Van Gogh is an original that has Van Gogh sending tingles up and down my spine even still.
TO BUY TICKETS UNTIL OCTOBER 30, 2022
1 Yonge St, Toronto, ON, M5E 2A3, Canada
Website
Lighthouse Art Space
A collection of venues hosting immersive experiences around North America.