Incoming van Gogh exhibit brings artist's work to life in a 'vivid, spectacular way'

Set-up underway for Imagine Van Gogh exhibit The highly anticipated tech exhibit opens March 27 at the Expo Centre. CTV Edmonton’s Graham Neil reports.

EDMONTON — The immersive Imagine Van Gogh exhibition from Europe is coming to Edmonton.

In March, 200 of the Dutch artist’s paintings will be on display at the Edmonton Expo Centre.

The exhibit was created by French artistic directors Annabelle Mauger and Julien Baron, famous for their immersive exhibits Cathédrale d’Images in Les Baux-de-Provence, according to a release on Wednesday.

The spring exhibit will feature high-definition video technology that will allow visitors to experience the paintings in an enlarged format. Mauger said it’s a journey to the heart of the artist's work.

“When you are in the museum, you can’t touch anything. Here, you can do what you want,” Mauger told CTV News Edmonton.

“If you want to sing, you can sing. If you want to jump, if you want to run, you do what you want. That was the most important to me because it’s a free place.”

Mauger said by making the exhibit immersive, visitors will have the opportunity to explore Vincent van Gogh’s detailed brushstrokes.

“You can see that nothing, absolutely nothing is straight. Everything is curved.”

She added, “Original canvasses are expanded and fragmented, then projected into unusual shapes to emphasize the mesmerizing exaggerations and distortions of van Gogh’s work."

The creators of the exhibit wanted to impress audiences by giving them a way to interact with van Gogh in an emotional way. Their floor-to-ceiling video touch screens and classical musical score is aimed at appreciating what the artist was feeling when he created his iconic pieces.

“You need to recognize this talent, this genius,” Mauger said.

“The exhibit brings van Gogh’s canvases to life in a vivid, spectacular way. The audience will literally enter the artist’s world of dreams.”

While the exhibit was developed in France, it’s already been a huge success in Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver, according to the release.

“It’s a place where you can dream. It’s very important this year and even the last year to have those kinds of moments. Perhaps you can forget a little bit in what world we’re living,” Mauger said.

Imagine Van Gogh will open March 27 with COVID-19 protocols in place.

Registration for the exhibit is now open to get exclusive access to presale information.

With files from Graham Neil