Van Gogh Alive

Have you ever wanted to walk inside a beautiful painting? Have you wished you could get up and close to the tiniest brush strokes of a masterpiece? Do traditional art galleries leave you wanting a little more? Don’t worry dear reader, Van Gogh Alive has got you covered. This isn’t your grandma’s reverentially quiet, controlled, security guarded gallery. This is an in your face, immersive, multi-sensory experience.

You enter the pavilion into a world where the 2D becomes 3D, the still life becomes animated, and the hush is replaced by spectacular music. Everything is inspired by the works of impressionist Vincent Van Gogh. Designed by Australian designer Anna Cordingley, the dining area becomes the Café Terrace at Night. There’s a three-dimensional rendition of Bedroom in Arles which provides a great photo opportunity; however, the Sunflowers room is most likely to be the Instagrammer’s favourite. Cordingley’s The Starry Night room, however, provides the most magical, transportive, fairy tale feeling of all.

Once you pass through these experiences, you’ll enter a large space filled with enormous screens. Upon these are SENSORY4™ immersive projections of Van Gogh’s words, biography, and artworks. This is all accompanied by an evocative classical soundtrack delivered through a cinema quality surround sound system. Works are displayed biographically, loosely chronologically and most effectively of all, thematically. This is an absolute treat for the avid art lover and the art novice alike. Even those who are very familiar with Van Gogh’s work may find they see something they’ve not seen before among the 3,000+ images.

This also has appeal for all ages. The little ones will enjoy the colours and motion, while those who can read will also learn about this fascinating artist. The more mature audience members will find a hard time not being moved by the words and images, the dichotomy of such beauty and pain in his works, and the extreme tragedy of Vincent’s mental health challenges, loneliness, and demise.

Van Gogh Alive is entertaining, educational and a one-of-a-kind experience you won’t want to miss.

Kitty Goodall