My Inner Geek

Imagine Van Gogh in Vancouver


With the lifting of some COVID restrictions, Sean and I went to check out the Imagine Van Gogh exhibit at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Had there been no pandemic, it would be hard to say if we would’ve gone, but after a year and a half of no travel or new cultural attractions, I was starved for art.

I knew that Imagine Van Gogh likely wouldn’t blow me away – not like the WOW I felt when I was at TeamLab Borderless or TeamLab Planets in Tokyo, Magic City – The Art of the Street in Munich, or The Making of Harry Potter in Leavesden.

I love Van Gogh’s Starry, Starry Night and Cafe Terrace at Night (who doesn’t?), but I’m not a hard core fan of Van Gogh or expressionism. The last time we went to Amsterdam, we didn’t visit the Van Gogh Museum (although I went in 2010),  but instead opted to see the Banksy and Dali exhibitions at the MOCO instead.

Imagine Van Gogh was the only game in town, and that was reason enough for us to get out of the house and do something.

The Imagine Van Gogh exhibit was split into 5 themes which showcased Van Gogh’s different art period:

  • From Provence to Auvers-sur-Oise (1888-1890)
  • Arles (1888-1889)
  • Saint-Remy-de-Provence (1889-1890)
  • Auvers-sur-Oise (1890)
  • Van Gogh and Japonisme

Here are some pics:

van gogh painting on a projected screen
projection of van gogh painting
people at the imagine van gogh exhibit
people walking around projected screens with van gogh paintings
projections of van gogh at imagine van gogh exhibit
people looking at van gogh sunflowers paintings
projections of van gogh starry starry night

The immersive exhibition was good for Vancouver standards. The 50 HD video projectors illuminating 20 floor to near ceiling screens, along with the accompanying music of  Saint-Saëns, Mozart, Bach, Delibes and Satie, had lent itself to a relaxing and chill vibe as we wandered around the space.

You know me – I really loved the synchronized choice of music and was very familiar with many of the songs used in ballets and operas. Here’s the Imagine Van Gogh Spotify playlist for your listening pleasure.

This was the first time we went to an event since the pandemic started. Entries were timed, and we had booked the 1015pm slot so that it wouldn’t be crazy busy. People were required to wear a mask at all times and that late at night, there was no issue with physical distancing. Overall, I felt very safe being and was glad we were finally able to have ourselves a date night.

View more photos of Imagine Van Gogh on my Flickr album. Enjoy!

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