Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

Art fans, this one’s for you. Located at 300 Vesey St. in Downtown Manhattan, right near the battery park and a short walk from the One World Trade is the art world’s latest tribute to a one-of-a-kind artist: Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.

The exhibit starts with a chronological history of Van Gogh’s life that leads into a showcase of his art that is projected onto all the walls surrounding the space. The lighting and the reverberation are superb. Once you have a seat, you get to explore the many different paintings of Van Gogh; and they each come with a musical score that enhances the experience even more. Each image appears slightly and begins drawing right in front of your eyes. The effects and the way the paintings would flood into each other gave a unique effect.

I was completely in awe and really impressed by the amount of work put into the show. It is super inventive, and the music was immaculate. The whole experience was very serene and soothing. After a year of isolation and boredom, this event was like much needed therapy.

Of course, while the experience is not like seeing Van Gogh's actual work in Paris, Amsterdam or even the MOMA, it was amazing to see the depth and complexity of his work captured in such detail and most importantly, to learn the history of the tortured genius. I definitely recommend coming into this exhibit with an open mind and to view it more than once because it is totally unique depending on where you are sitting or standing in the room. There are so many elements and so much going on that it is easy to miss small details -- and trust me you won’t want to miss anything. After all, this is a completely new and engaging way of experiencing art. And pro tip: splurge for the VR - it is worth it.