VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. (WAVY) — Art lovers have a new exhibit at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is produced by Paquin Entertainment and is presented in collaboration with the Virginia Arts Festival
“The idea is to go beyond the darkness of the myth,” said Fanny Curtat, art historian of Beyond Van Gogh. “Vincent is always known for the darkness in his life for; the ear cutting incident, poverty, mental illness issues. All things are true to a certain extent but that’s not what you see when you look at his work. His work is about brightness, it’s about colors, it’s about joy, it’s about healing, it’s about finding a way out of darkness. That’s really what this show focuses on.”
Curtat told 10 On Your Side’s Kiahnna Patterson the exhibit allows all ages to walk through 300 pieces of art, including “The Starry Night,” “Sunflowers,” and “Café Terrace at Night.”
“It really is for the whole family,” Curtat said. “Whether you know a lot about van Gogh. it’s great for everyone. it’s great for kids, it’s a fantastic way of discovering him and his work. They get to run around and be free in the space.”
The entry is a maze-like history of the Dutch artist through quotes and facts. The show in the main hall starts with an image of the famous artist.
“It was about trying to find pieces that would have a 21st century audience see how much they can relate to this 19th century artist,” Curtat said.
A convention center exhibit hall was transformed in 10 days with high-tech projection mapping technology.
“As technology is growing, (the) sky is the limit [with] what we can do with it and how to connect people to the art world or other parts of history,” Curtat said.
The Virginia Arts Festival hopes Hampton Roads residents and tourists visit the exhibit from July 6 until Sept. 2.
“We are hoping this is an economic driver for Virginia Beach,” said Alli Pereira, director of public relations for the Virginia Arts Festival. “When folks are looking to come here to Virginia Beach for their family vacations. We are hoping they’ll add this as part of their experience. We are partnering with hotels down here.”
Want to go?
Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, presented in partnership with the Virginia Arts Festival, will be at the Virginia Beach Convention Center from July 6 through Sept. 2. Purchase tickets here: https://vangoghvirginiabeach.com/