Interactive multisensory art at the Van Gogh Exhibition

Despite creating art for only 10 years, Vincent Van Gogh remains one of the most influential painters of all time. Following the Post-Impressionist movement and with his own aesthetic statement, unique brushstrokes, and striking color combinations, Van Gogh's paintings always evoke and awaken a powerful impression on viewers.

Besides his artistic career, the life of this talented painter also leaves behind many regrets. Even during the peak of his artistic career, Van Gogh faced numerous tragedies, enduring much mental anguish and psychological and personality disorders. These experiences became the inspiration for a series of multi-sensory art exhibitions about Van Gogh.

No need to travel far to Singapore or Thailand, art lovers can now enjoy the unique works of the great painter Van Gogh right here in Vietnam. Designed with copyright from the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands and consultation from renowned museums around the world, including France and the United States, the exhibition showcases over 900 works and takes visitors on a tour through 16 impressive destinations.

While searching for beautiful exhibitions in Saigon on social media, Huy Bao (28 years old, from Dong Thap) stumbled upon the Van Gogh exhibition and immediately booked tickets, eagerly anticipating the experience.

"I find Van Gogh's paintings quite intriguing and fascinating. Each painting has a distinct soul compared to anything I've ever seen, even though I don't have much knowledge of art," Huy Bao confided.

Huy Bao expressed his excitement at participating for the first time in a multi-sensory interactive art project about Van Gogh, launched in Vietnam. He spent a full 120 minutes leisurely enjoying the art in almost all the areas, regretting that he didn't have enough time to experience painting and coloring.

The exhibition space covers 3,800 square meters.²Featuring both indoor and outdoor settings, it's a harmonious blend of the artistic masterpieces of the brilliant painter Van Gogh and modern technology. The works of the genius painter Vincent Van Gogh are presented through digital projection, virtual reality technology, 3D mapping, along with classical music, allowing visitors to interact with them firsthand.

The Van Gogh Art Lighting Experience is not a franchised exhibition but a completely new project unique to Vietnam. It offers unique and impressive experiences only found in exhibitions in Vietnam. These include a focus on lighting, the combination of lasers and 3D mapping, and a storytelling approach tailored to the viewing habits of the Vietnamese public. The organizers have partnered with Vioso, a globally renowned 3D mapping company, to bring this entirely new project to Vietnam, utilizing many of the world's most advanced technologies.

Sharing with Travellive, Huy Bao said: “Each space has its own unique characteristics, but they can be divided into two components: outdoor and indoor. From my personal perspective, I found the outdoor area to be quite well-arranged and organized, but it was a bit hot due to the Saigon weather. As for the indoor area, I was extremely impressed with the lighting setup, the space, the artwork… the experiences, both auditory and visual, were quite captivating.”

In the "Interactive Corridor," visitors step through mirrored illusions to travel back 133 years. "Vincent's Land" tells the story of the Dutch painter's life. "Vincent's Art" includes an exhibition space showcasing over 150 representative works, and "Vincent's Field" is a room covered in sunflowers.

"I think going in the evening would be best so you can fully experience the outdoor area in the coolest weather. The sunflowers with lights look even more beautiful at night," Huy Bao advised.

The highlight of the exhibition is Vincent's Life and Vincent's Soul. Here, visitors can engage in multi-sensory interaction, watch a 7-minute video about Van Gogh's life, and enjoy a 24-minute projection of classic works. This area alone utilizes 90 industrial projectors to create a vivid and sharp visual experience – an unprecedented number of projectors for an exhibition space of this size worldwide.

The exhibition offers four ticket categories: Special, Standard, VIP, and Luxury, with prices ranging from 250,000 VND to 1,200,000 VND. The exhibition runs from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM, with a limited visit time of 120 minutes. Tickets are available online through the exhibition website and also sold directly at the exhibition.

"I heard that exhibition tickets abroad are quite expensive, so I think this is a great opportunity for us to get closer to the paintings of the talented artist Van Gogh. If possible, let's go and experience it once to broaden our aesthetic appreciation," Huy Bao shared.

Phuong Mai is a reporter for Travellive Magazine in Hanoi.

Phuong Mai