Immersive Van Gogh

Immersive Van Gogh

If you loved the film “Loving Vincent,” you’re about to have another chance to step inside the dazzling vision of Vincent van Gogh. (In case you missed the film, I urge you to see it soon. Its story is told entirely through lush and meticulous hand-painted animations of Van Gogh’s paintings.)

“Immersive Van Gogh” is a wraparound art experience coming to an as-yet undisclosed Los Angeles location. Conceived and designed by Massimiliano Siccardi, the L.A. exhibit promises “500,000 cubic feet of monumental projections animating Vincent van Gogh’s oeuvre” as well as an accompanying soundtrack by Luca Longobardi.

The hour-long, timed-entry, walk-through experience is designed with health and safety as a priority. Capacity will be limited in accordance with the city’s safety protocols, there will be social distancing markers throughout the venue, and all guests must wear a face covering at all times during their visit.

Already open in Chicago (500,000 cubic feet of projections) and San Francisco (300,000 cubic feet of projections in the space that used to be the Fillmore West), the 14-city exhibition has spawned a handful of similarly immersive Van Gogh exhibits. In fact, there has been some social media flap among those who found themselves holding tickets to the “wrong” event. (More about that in The New York Times.)

Tickets for “Immersive Van Gogh” are now on sale and the exhibit will open in L.A. on Thursday, May 27, 2021. Ticket holders will receive an email in advance notifying them of the ultra-secret location.

Specially designed to highlight the architecture of each venue, the show promises to immerse viewers in Van Gogh’s sunny landscapes, night scenes, portraits, and still life paintings, including some of his best-known works. As The New York Times says, “The scale, the images and the effect of being inside van Gogh’s work have led some visitors to cry.”

I can’t wait!