Immersive shows like ‘Beyond Van Gogh’ are future of art, expert says

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - An interactive exhibit on the art of Vincent Van Gogh is coming to Augusta this month, and an expert says the immersive show and others like it promise to being art to a whole new audience.

“Beyond Van Gogh — The Immersive Experience” has wowed millions of art lovers interested in the famous Dutch painter since it began touring in 2017.

Scott Thorp, chair of the Augusta University Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Department of Art and Design, offered an expert’s perspective before the exhibit opens locally.

“I believe these types of exhibitions exceed expectations because they are so stimulating. They include a new type of interactive media that entirely surrounds the viewer. You are more of a participant than a viewer in these situations,” Thorp said.

Museum visitors usually have to crane their necks to view art that’s hanging on a wall.

“With this, you have to keep looking around to ensure you are getting everything,” Thorp said. “The technology here is relatively novel. Plus, it’s all around you.”

Museums can feel snobby or intimidating to some people, but blockbuster shows for Van Gogh or Impressionist painter Claude Monet have done “exceptionally well,” Thorp said.

Thorp thinks we’ll see more exhibits like this going forward.

“This is only the beginning,” he said.

AU has already taken advantage of a similar application of this in the Children’s Hospital of Georgia with an interactive wall in radiology. And AU is offering a new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital and Visual Storytelling to prepare students who want to go into the field.

He said several companies are creating experiences like the Van Gogh exhibit, which will be at the James Brown Arena from May 21 to June 26.

“This will spread to more permanent venues such as the Illuminarium in Atlanta,” which currently has a Georgia O’Keefe exhibition, he said.

He also said not to be surprised if more permanent exhibits similar to this start showing up.

“I actually see these popping up all over the place. As they move forward, I’m sure artists will use this medium as their own,” he said. “So it won’t be just about an artist of the past; the experience will be the actual work of contemporary artists.”

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