Beyond Van Gogh Review
Beyond Van Gogh is a travelling immersive art experience that I was able to witness in Calgary. It’s a rather capturing sort of experience that provides you with a vibrant display of color, depth and sound in order to create a rather enticing show. It’s split into a couple segments and aims to provide a different sort of look at the troubled painter. You start by entering the core BMO building and heading into “F” hall.
From there you’re greeted with a large exposition deposit giving you many details about the life of Van Gogh. This was honestly a bit heavy on the wording, there are many details to see there and it takes awhile to go through. It’s a great read up if you’re wanting to know more about who this artist exactly is, at the same time if you’re knowledgeable it’s best to move faster into the next area.
This place does have some nice displays though, and hanging picture frame areas which were great for some fun photos. Once you’re done reading you’ll head into an artistic waterfall room. This is to acclimate you to the next area. It’s great as it’s a peaceful little tease, and it generally prepares your eyes for the main room. From there you enter the space which is quite large and open.
There are screens being projected upon on all sides and also middle pillars that have their own projects being run on. You’re able to enjoy the show from basically any side, and it feels relatively safe for those still wanting to keep some cushion space between them and others. Now with that, it was a bit hard on the legs (I have an injured knee that’s healing) since it’s a hard floor and I would have appreciated a bench or two in the area.
I feel that could have blended in well and there’s more than enough space for one. Not only for someone like myself, but just to provide an easier spot to take everything in or for different types of folks that may prefer that option. Moving past that, the showcase was about a half hour in length within that general area, so your whole visit will likely be about an hour in length.
I thoroughly enjoyed the core exhibit section. The atmosphere was fantastic, from the chosen musical tunes to the usage of the art in a very aesthetically pleasing way. You got to see the works really come alive, literally. There were layers of art at times, with subtle movement that helped convey the emotion the pieces aimed to provide. Certain pieces would be sketched to life, others had waves flowing or birds flying.
There were flowers expanding outwards, and you saw this happen around you. On the walls, and on the floor as well. Portraits may feature eyes moving, and it really is quite neat to take in. There were some informational quotes between, but this area was definitely centered on the artwork and I thought it delivered. It was a great viewing, and I actually wanted even more by the time the loop was done actually.
I was satisfied, but really vibing with the showcase. Sort of tranquil, ASMR like in design with how the sound is piped in and the calming way art shifts around you. Once you’ve completed the main walk, there are some additional quotes to walk by and a gift shop if you’d like to grab some merch based on the experience. There was also a calm meeting area just past that, not quite setup by the time I left. Then the final area featured some drawing boards so you could sketch some flowers if you’d like. A nice extra touch I suppose. In general I found that the show provided a great viewing.
It was a good activity to take part in, and my guest enjoyed it as well. I would say that Van Gogh enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy the presentation, and those that appreciate art will find this to be an enchanted viewing. Bit heavy on the initial text, but it helps set the stage and provide some context into the artist. I do almost wish this writing bit did focus slightly more on the pieces you’d see though. Again though, a great presentation that was very well put together. I had fun, and enjoyed it. You can read our review of the Greta Bar in Calgary, or check out our general hub for the city below.
Read our Greta Bar Review
View our Calgary Hub
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