Review: 4 things we didn’t know about Vincent Van Gogh & is it worth a visit?
Should you visit Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience?
You may have seen the 360-degree wall-to-floor, larger-than-life projections of Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh’s artwork featured in Emily in Paris starring Lily Collins. Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience opened its doors to the public at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore on 1 March. Reshaping the classic representation of galleries and debunking the impression that museums are only meant for a niche group, this exhibition draws you in with over 300 artworks of the famous Van Gogh through an amalgamation of stunning replicas, cutting-edge digital projections, Virtual Reality (VR), and atmospheric light and sound. It is truly an exhibition for the young and old.
CNN ranked this exhibition as one of the top 12 best immersive experiences, and has received over five million visitors since 2017. First time in Southeast Asia, here are some impressive statistics of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.
28,000 sq ft of exhibition space
360-degree projections of Immersive Digital Art Exhibition
15,000 sq ft screens
Over 300 sketches, artworks and paintings
The ONLY Van Gogh exhibition in the world that owns the VR Experience offering
First time in Southeast Asia
The first in the world in this exhibition: A showcase of the traditional art of Japanese Woodblock Print and Stamps Section that inspired Van Gogh
Tickets selling fast. Get it now
What's to love (or not) about Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience?
With so much hype about Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience – a first in Southeast Asia – I was curious if the exhibition would be worth its ticket price. (Prices start from S$16 for children from 4 to 12 years old, adult tickets are at S$26 per person.) To say that I went to the exhibition with high expectations is an understatement.
I have seen the artist's works in various museums around the world; watched the film directed by Julian Schnabel At Eternity's Gate (helmed by the talented Willem Dafoe); bought one too many Van Gogh-inspired items such as its tops, sweaters, skirts, socks and other paraphernalia such as phone covers, tote bags and even Lego sets. To be very honest, when I first entered the exhibition, flanked by two rows of the artist's self-portraits in replicas, I was a little apprehensive if this would be an exhibition worth visiting or recommending. However, as I walked through the zones, my concern quickly dissipated.
Upon entering the official exhibition gallery, we were invited to discover and hopefully understand more about the artist – it just gets better. Set your expectations right. If you are looking out for the actual million/billion dollar original artworks by the Dutch artist, you are better off visiting the other museums, such as the one in Amsterdam. At Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, as its name suggests, it is all about having an (for want of a better word) immersive experience. The Van Gogh app, available for free downloads, did not add much to the experience. It was a mere regurgitation of the text displayed on-site and there was no audio guide to follow through. Pity that. However, it certainly helps if you prefer to return home to slowly read through the stories behind each display.
At the main gallery, you will learn more about the artist, his relationship with good friend and one-time roommate Paul Gauguin and how their disagreement led to Van Gogh's fateful ear-cutting incident. Of course, the exhibition also gives credit to his dearest brother and long-time supporter, Theo Van Gogh, without whom, we would probably not be able to enjoy the exhibition in the first place. This exhibition rightly portrayed the essential relationships he had in his lifetime crucial to his growth and development as an artist.
You can look forward to seeing the progression of his artistic evolution, the various renditions of the Sunflower series, as well as how Japonisme heavily influenced his signature art style at The Immersive Room. Learning that Van Gogh was strongly inspired by Japanese art was new to me. More of this later.
Without spoiling the fun for you, here are the highlights you definitely should not miss: The Yellow Room which the artist spent much time in and painted and the VR experience depicting The Day in the Life of an Artist. And of course, The Immersive Room offers a 360-degree projection of over 300 works by him that everyone is currently sharing on social media.
My favourite is the 10-minute VR experience unique to this particular Van Gogh exhibition. Using various artwork of the artist, the team behind this exhibition created a one-of-a-kind VR experience. It is akin to immersing oneself in the film about Vincent Van Gogh, and I (almost) felt I could feel myself in France, taking the sunshine amongst the hay and farmers. No wonder the name of this exhibition!
My advice is to take your time to explore the different zones, keep an open mind and imagine yourself in the 1800s when Van Gogh worked hard at creating artwork after artwork out of his observation of nature. And learn how heartbreaking it must have been for him to rely on his imagination to work on his art when he was admitted to the asylum subsequently.
Truly worth its ticket price solely for the VR experience, here are four things about Vincent Van Gogh we never knew and hope you uncover other interesting nuggets about the Dutch artist at the exhibition for yourself.
No. 1: Pastor turned artist
Did you know Van Gogh wanted to do his father proud by following in his father’s footsteps and training to be a pastor? The art world benefited when he aborted the idea and focused on becoming a painter. By all counts, Van Gogh was a late bloomer in art creation, but he was prolific once he started. Van Gogh did not pick up the paintbrush officially until he was 30 but lost no time making up for it. Most of his famous paintings were completed in the final two years of his life. Fancy that!
No. 2: He created over 2100 artworks in his lifetime
Thanks to his brother Theo who struck a deal with the hospital staff, could he continue to paint during his one-year stay at the Saint-Rémy asylum. This was when The Starry Night was produced. The asylum, tucked in the beautiful surroundings of Provence, where nature, art and music were believed to soothe the soul and mind, did wonders for Van Gogh's prolific artistic period. He managed to produce the bulk of his lifetime work here.
No. 3: He was on the verge of stardom before his early demise at the age of 37
Painting the artist as a tortured soul who cut off his ear probably made for a romanticized image of him. Contrary to popular belief that Van Gogh died without finding fame, Van Gogh was well aware of his artistic talents during his lifetime. Besides being on the radar of an important art critic, he was already recognised for his talent by his creative peers such as Toulouse Lautrec, Cezanne, Renoir and Paul Gauguin. Not just that, his artworks were also showcased at an exhibition in Brussels and a major show in Paris which the President of France graced. He also managed to secure 400 francs by selling The Red Vineyard, a tidy sum then. Equally sad and baffling, this happened just two months before his demise and suspected suicide.
No. 4: His signature art style evolved from Japonisme
What do you think is the inspiration for the wild swirls of the night sky in The Starry Night? Would you have associated the Japanese Hokusai waves as the inspiration for his most famous painting? Like some of his artist peers, Van Gogh was not immune to the rise of Japonisme that rose in late 1800s Europe.
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience pays homage to Asian cultural influences which evolved into the artist's signature style. Who would have thought that the Dutch artist borrowed inspiration from Japanese art?
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is now showing until third quarter of 2023.
Venue: Resorts World Sentosa, B1 Forum
Opening hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays: 11 am – 8 pm
Fridays and Saturdays: 10 am – 9 pm
Sundays: 10 am – 7 pm
*Closed on Tuesdays
Tickets selling fast. Get it now
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Are you a true fan of Van Gogh and can't get enough?
Visit other Van Gogh exhibitions and tours around the world:
Van Gogh Alive in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Having dazzled over 8.5 million visitors across 80 cities worldwide, Van Gogh Alive is now on its ground-breaking tour of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Release your artistic creativity as you delve into his amazing art pieces and learn their stories.
Van Gogh Alive in KL, Malaysia
Van Gogh Half Day Tour from Avignon
Walk through the Roman city, the ancient theatre, and view the places painted by Van Gogh on this half-day tour in Avignon.
Van Gogh half-day tour in Avignon
Van Gogh Museum Ticket in Amsterdam
This is one of the most famous museums in Amsterdam. You will step into Vincent Van Gogh's life and his world of art of over 200 paintings, drawings and letters that capture his eccentric personality.
Van Gogh Museum ticket in Amsterdam
