You’ve probably seen ads, commercials, or stories about something called an immersive Van Gogh experience over the last year. There’s good reason for that since these exhibits have sprung up all over the U.S. But, what the heck are they exactly, and is it something you would want to check out if it was in your area? Read on to find out.
What are Immersive Van Gogh Exhibits?
While each installation is at least slightly different, the concept is similar. They are all shown in large, cavernous spaces where huge blank walls or projector screens are erected. It might be one large room or multiple rooms, allowing visitors to explore. In each space, projectors display an animated series of Van Gogh’s works. They are also projected onto the floors and ceilings in some cases. The point is to surround viewers with the display: i.e. make it immersive.
The video is accompanied by music and the animation (at least during the exhibit I attended) walked through Van Gogh’s work in a chronological fashion, while interspersing graphics of text that discussed the progression of his life and work, along with various quotes from his writings. Sometimes all the displays were of the same painting, other times different works were animated on different sections at the same time or transitioned from one to another at different paces. The animation zooms in or out with the music and the text narrative that is also ongoing.
Who is Putting in these Exhibits?
There are actually multiple companies putting on these Virtual or Immersive Van Gogh experiences. They include:
Immersive Van Gogh
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience
Imagine Van Gogh: The Immersive Exhibition
Van Gogh Alive.
There could be more at this point as well.
Where Can I Attend and Exhibit?
Great question! With multiple companies putting on the exhibits it’s hard to figure out where all of them are at any given time. So, if you do some searching you will likely find more than the list below. This list pulls from one of the larger organizers, at www.immersivevangogh.com.
The Immersive Van Gogh exhibit is currently (as of mid-October) showing in 21 cities, with 19 being in the US, one in Canada, and one in the UAE. Some cities have the exhibit showing at more than one location. You can check the Immersive Van Gogh website for an updated list. And again, there are other companies putting on similar exhibits in other cities.
San Francisco, CA
Los Angeles, CA
New York, NY
Chicago, IL
Charlotte, NC
Cleveland, OH
Columbus, OH
Dallas, TX
Houston, TX
San Antonio, TX
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Kansas City, MO
Las Vegas, NV
Minneapolis, MN
Nashville, TN
Orlando, FL
Phoenix, AZ
Pittsburgh, PA
Toronto, Canada
Dubai, UAE
So, is it Worth Seeing?
Do you like Van Gogh? Do you enjoy classical music and art exhibits in general? If the answers to either or preferably both questions is yes, then chances are you will enjoy the exhibit - at least based on the one I saw in Denver. I found it to be a very calming experience. I learned a lot about Van Gogh that I didn’t know before. I appreciate some of his works more than others, but putting them all into the context of what was happening in his life when they were created gave all of them more meaning.
I’m not an avid art lover, but I do appreciate art. I did study fine art briefly many years ago, so obviously I’m at least somewhat predisposed to enjoy it. But, the popularity of these exhibits seems to suggest that a sizeable audience is finding them enjoyable as well. Some people in the art community seem to sneer at them a bit, but I think that any time a wider audience can enjoy art, that can really only be a good thing.
