Experience the world through the artistic eyes of a most iconic Dutch post-impressionist painter by stepping into a kaleidoscope of Van Gogh’s oil masterpieces. This Australian digital creation by Grande Exhibitions has garnered lots of hype and mix reviews since it first started on its world tour. Personally, as an art-lover, a graphic designer and a Van Gogh fan who has seen all his original masterpieces, I love it. This immersive experience offers a covid-safe gateway back into the struggling art scene. It inspires the general public to learn about art without the intimidation of a classic white-walled art gallery. Whether you have booked your tickets, or still undecided about going, this guide will tell you what to expect and how to navigate through it all.
To go or not to go, why the mixed reviews?
First up, let me make it clear that this is NOT a traditional art exhibition but instead an elaborate digital experience designed to introduce Van Gogh and his most outstanding works to the general public. By general public, I mean a mass audience who some will never, by choice, step through the intimidating doors of a conventional art gallery to see endless, old framed pictures on stretches of white walls. There are no real original Van Goh paintings on white walls. There is no super technical description using art language. There is no in-depth recount into Van Gogh’s life. If you are a traditional-things-only art snob, or you are an easily offended classical music critic who will be pissed if someone uses Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Little Swans outside of anything to do with swans or Swan Lake the then this is not your cup of tea.
This exhibition challenges the traditional definition of what art should be in its use of a beloved artist’s representative works and manipulating them through digital edits and partial animation. Put it together with an orchestral soundtrack of iconic classical music pieces; this is bound to ruffle a few feathers in the traditional art and music industry. But let’s be honest, art critics back in Van Gogh’s days ruthlessly criticised his works too. There are always haters out there when it comes to something as subjective as art and music.
Many critics also repeatedly point to Grande Exhibitions commercialising classical art and have too obvious intentions of wanting this to be the next viral thing on Instagram and social media platforms. To this, I would say which art gallery and exhibition doesn’t use social media to promote in the hopes that things will go viral and attract more people? Which gallery doesn’t sell prints and merchandise of their latest feature exhibit of a well-loved artist? Everyone these days commercialise classical art to some degree so let’s put those high horses back into their stables and let them rest.
Why should you go to see Van Gogh Alive ?
Now that we’ve got the two most frequently mentioned negative factors done and dusted, let’s look at the positive side of the exhibition. As an art-lover who has visited countless galleries and museums across the globe, I am a strong advocate for introducing classic art and music to anyone willing to learn. There is no better environment to provoke the general public’s interest in traditional paintings than an immersive experience like this. Being surrounded by large Imax screens in a large warehouse space of Royal Hall of Industries with both full and close-up views of Van Gogh’s work is simply spectacular. Unlike traditional galleries, this exhibition is family-friendly which means children are welcome (as long as you can control them and stop them from taking down the screens). There’s no such thing as “too early” when it comes to learning about classic art!
Covid-19 restrictions have affected many galleries and art exhibitions. Even Van Gogh Alive had to change from Melbourne to Sydney at last minute due to enforced lockdowns. The spaciousness and contactless nature of this exhibition is a great way to appreciate art and stay safe. The requirement for everyone to remain socially distanced means this exhibit is super comfortable. Unlike some popular exhibitions back in pre-covid days, things will never get so packed that you won’t have personal space to enjoy the moving creations.
The Van Gogh Alive experience
Van Gogh’s iconic Sunflowers were painted in a rare period of optimism and excitement in his life (e.g. Vase with Twelve Sunflowers 1888 and Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers 1888). A small cluster of oversized sunflower sculptures greets every visitor next to the entrance of the exhibit. After ticket checking, the standard covid venue procedures, and taking photos at the big “Van Gogh Alive” backboard, there is a small lobby area to the right. Visitors will walk through here before entering the screening room. Here, there are images of a small selection of Van Gogh’s most iconic work with a short text of background information provided with each picture. I highly recommend taking the time to read through these as it will help with making sense of the screening sequence and why they chose what they chose. A 3D replica of the painting of Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Aries 1888 is on display here for visitors to get a feel of what everyday life was like for this artist who was in constant poverty.
Now, let us take a step into the main event of this exhibition. Go through a black-clothed tunnel , and you will find yourself facing the full space of Royal Hall of Industries. No online pictures will prepare you for this stepping-inside-an-Imax-movie-screen feeling. All four walls have towering floor-to-almost-ceiling rectangular screens of varying widths and height. Some will have close up details of a painting; some will have a full view of a different picture; others may have words said by Van Gogh or phrases from his letters. Together they will envelop you in a world full of colourful brushstrokes. Look toward the other end of the room, and you will find space splits evenly down the middle by more towering screens to form two archways. Everything the eye can see are screens with projections of Van Gogh’s famous works, they even cover the floor! Visitors are welcome to roam, stand or sit anywhere while enjoying the exhibition.
The 45 minutes of visuals and selected classical orchestral pieces will take you on a discovery ride through Van Gogh’s life starting with Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Summer In G minor which splatters a series of Van Gogh’s self-portraits across the room. A swift violin transition later, we take dance to Van Gogh’s Paris (Asnières-sur-seine series 1887) with the upbeat Parisian notes of Coeur Vagabond. Fast forward past a snippet of J.S Bach’s Cello Suite No.1 in G Major with windmills (Le Moulin de la Galette series 1886) and animated birds in the sky, we will arrive at the start of Van Gogh’s still life series.
Timed in perfect sync to every staccato of Schubert’s 6 Momentus musicaux (D. 780: No. 3 in F Minor) we are thrown into a vibrant world of Yellows, reds and blues. The lemons of Van Gogh’s Still Life with Lemons on a Plate 1887 is animated to appear individually on an empty plate. What follows is the artist’s vibrant works with apples (e.g Still Life with Apples 1887-88), Grapes (e.g. Still Life with Grapes 1887) and assorted fruits (e.g. Still Life with Quinces, lemons, pears and grapes 1887). Skip along to the next highlight, the flowers of Van Gogh’s still life series (e.g. Flowers in a Blue Vase 1887, Vase with Red Gladioli 1886) are lightly paired with the soft strung violin notes of Léo Delibes Sylvia Pizzicato. For these two sections, there is so much to see; blink and you might miss the details that’s skipping along with the fast transitioning notes!
Cherry blossoms and Japan fans will enjoy the short Japonaiserie series 1885-1890 accompanied by Toshiko Yonekawa’s The Cherry Blossom. This series is an excellent representation of when Japanese art influence swept across the art scene in Paris. Instagram lovers will love the animated flowing petals against the painted blooming Cherry trees. Just be respectful of others when you are standing in front of the screens taking photos. The exhibition will eventually lead to one of the most optimistic periods of Van Gogh’s life with the next highlight being Sunflowers. A harmonious combination of Bach’s Prelude No.1 and instrumental Ave Maria takes us on a journey through the most iconic Van Gogh sunflowers.
The most magical part of the exhibition arrives when Van Gogh’s Starry Night Over the Rhône 1888 and The Starry Night 1889 projects to envelope the whole space. The room turns into an outer space experience full of midnight and blue tones with a dash of yellow and white highlights. Add in Carnival of the Animals: VII. Aquarium by Saint-Saëns for background music and I almost expected fairies to come out dancing! It is no wonder that this is the most famous shot found online for the exhibition.
The exhibition ends in more sad and tragic notes with the ring of a single gunshot. This shot reflects on Van Gogh’s passing by suicide. From observing the people around me, there were some shocked expressions and surprised gasps. To me, this was a brilliant way to end the show without saying how the artist left our world. The 45-minute show ends, and the next session will play in 15 minutes ready for the next set of eager audiences.
For full sessions, the staff will clear the space before letting in next the next round of audience. If the sessions are not too full, you may be able to stay for another round. Those who are lucky to get to rewatch the exhibition, I recommend standing at another spot to view the next show. Each place you stand will give you a different view of the artworks shown.
Tips for experiencing the exhibition
- I highly recommend getting to know a bit about Van Gogh before you go. This can be done by just hitting up wiki or if you want something more artsy and in-depth I recommend the movie “Loving Vincent“. The movie is an animated film painted by hundreds of artist in the iconic style of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous works. It depicts his full life story in detail and gives a great background knowledge to this exhibition and the arrangement sequence Van Gogh Alive shows.
- On Van Gogh Alive’s offical website, they mention the exhibition takes their audience on a journey through Van Gogh’s work with imagery, music and even fragrances. There is one spot in the whole venue where you can get the most out of all three. The staff there has named this their best kept secret. This spot is the furthest left corner (with your back facing the entrance) of the whole exhibition. Stand right at the corner with your back facing the black curtain and your body in between two large screens, you will get a full view of the whole exhibition and all the screens. There is a fragrance outlet there so you will get the full aromas released with the different oil painting series. A huge thank you to the sweetest lady on the staffing team for showing me this spot!
- If you love the music as much as I did, you can find the playlist on Spotify through the link here
Tips for tickets and selecting session times
- If possible, choose to go between Monday – Thursday as they have less visitors and you will enjoy the experience more.
- Morning 9:00 sessions are the most quiet. If you are like me who likes to have a mostly people free experience, this is the slot for you.
- Save some money with 9:00 Monday – Thursday morning sessions as they will sell some of these adult tickets at $30 if there isn’t a lot of people going. You will have to shift through a few dates when booking online to chance upon these.
Getting there and Covid Procedures
Due to covid-19, the exhibition is divided into timed sessions for ticketing to assist with crowd control. Each ticket section starts at the start of each hour (e.g. 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 etc.). I recommend arriving about 5 – 10 minutes prior to your session starting so you can do the covid check procedures. These procedures are:
- Put on your mask. ALL visitors MUST wear a mask at all times inside the venue. If you do not have one you can purchase one for approximately $1 at the entrance before you enter.
- Ticket scan at the door
- Answering standard Covid contact questions
- Contactless temperature checks (anyone who reads above 37.5 degrees will not be permitted entry)
- Digital covid registration form – scan the QR code and register your name and contact details for contact tracing.
Exhibition Dates: 18th September 2020 – 20th December 2020
Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday 9:00 – 21:00, Friday and Saturday 9:00 – 22:00. Last session is 1 hour before closing.
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketet or you can purchase them at the box office outside of the venue. I highly recommend getting them online as you can see which sessions are sold out instead of just trying your luck on the day. The link to the online tickets are here.
Price: Prices for tickets will vary depending on the session time and day of the week. Adult tickets can be anywhere between $30 – $70 or more. Other ticket prices start at $85 for a Family Four pack, $22 for youths (aged 13-17), $15 for children (aged 5-12). Children under 4 enters for free and there are discounts available for those who hold senior cards and student IDs.
Venue: Royal Hall of Industries, Entertainment Quarter
Venue Address: 1 Driver Avenue, Moore Park, NSW, 2021
By Car: There is 2 hour free parking available at Wilson EQ Carpark
By Public Transport: There are two light rail options from Central Station. Visitors can take the light rail from Central Charmer Street stop on the Randwick Line (L2) to Moore Park Light Rail stop. Alternatively take the light rail from Haymarket stop near Central Station on the Junior Kingsford Line (L3) to Moore Park Light Rail stop. The venue is approximately 3 minutes walk from Moore Park Light Rail stop.
