DEL MAR — An internationally acclaimed three-dimensional art exhibition featuring the works of Vincent Van Gogh is coming to the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is an immersive art experience that allows visitors to see some of the world’s most famous pieces of art in one place.
The show will run from Jan. 14 through March 6 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Wyland Center and showcases more than 300 of Van Gogh’s iconic pieces including “The Starry Night,” “Sunflowers” and ‘Café Terrace at Night.”
The concept was created by French-Canadian Creative Director Mathieu St-Arnaud in collaboration with Normal Studio.
“An imaginative and fully-immersive adventure, Beyond Van Gogh takes on the challenge of breathing new life into Van Gogh’s vast body of work. Through the use of cutting-edge 3D projection technology and music to illuminate all of his genius, guests can experience the artist with all their senses,” said St-Arnaud in a statement.
Montreal-based art historian Fanny Curtat, a consultant on the project, described the experience as magical and fantasy that allows visitors to “go beyond the frame.”
“I think everybody needed this type of project where you’re just surrounded by Vincent’s vision of the world, which was filled with joy, filled with color, filled with movement, and that he himself thought as a sort of remedy for his own ailments,” Curtat said.
“To see children running around and just following the brushstrokes and the colors. It’s been truly incredible,” Curtat continued. “People are moved and I think they get to connect with Vincent in a very different way.”
The show takes about an hour to go through and includes an introduction hall with panels showcasing snippets of Van Gogh’s own words; the Waterfall Room; and the Immersive Experience room, where Van Gogh’s art is projected onto large panels accompanied by the artist’s own dreams, thoughts and words set to music.
“The music plays a super important role because it’s from very different eras. It includes music from different periods and times, and that also allows to sort of bridge this gap between the 21st-century audience and the 19th-century artist. It really adds to the experience and allows us to connect with Vincent’s life and with everything that we can still learn from him and his art,” Curtat said.
She added that another goal for this show is to encourage visitors to continue their art journey well after they leave the exhibition, while also fostering a deeper appreciation for artists like Van Gogh.
