Millions of people around the world have gotten lost in Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, bringing the legendary painter’s works to life for audiences with a modern twist.
That same experience is about to happen for one of the great women painters.
One Canadian and six U.S. cities are about to have the works of Frida Kahlo delivered to them with Frida: The Immersive Dream. The attraction will hit Toronto, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Boston, Chicago, and Dallas.
“The success of Immersive Van Gogh has demonstrated that audiences are excited to experience art in a new way,” Corey Ross, a producer with Lighthouse Immersive, the company behind both shows, said in a release. “Our Italian creative team are experts at digitally exploring masterworks in such a way that viewers are not merely passive observers. They obtain an even richer understanding of the artist by seeing the work as its creator might have.”
Kahlo was chosen for the next exhibit because of her impact on the artwork and her status as a “brilliant, uncompromising painter who created some of history’s most iconic artwork,” organizers proclaim on their website.
Kahlo is a woman who boldly told the story of her life in brushstrokes, and for that reason, she will get a different treatment than Van Gogh.
“(Massimiliano) Siccardi presents Kahlo’s works in a format very distinct from that which he utilized in examining Van Gogh’s,” Ross said. “He does not try to unify the many styles Kahlo used in her lifetime, but instead, presents them to us as a series of kinetic tableaus that may initially contradict — but eventually illuminate — each other.”
Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her many self-portraits. She made a huge impact on the art world in the first half of the 20th century despite only living to the age of 47.
She started drawing at an early age, but after a severe accident at the age of 18 left her relegated to her bed for months, she took up painting.
The immersive display will allow visitors to stroll through the gallery and see her works come to life on a grand scale. The huge projections and accompanying music will bring a new perspective to her works, organizers say.
The 360-degree display will allow you to look at and experience her art from all angles and get a different perspective on her works.
“In this piece, we will chase Frida’s world, always in motion,” added Siccardi. “We will discover her tenderness and hostilities by taking in her observations and fantasies. Our hope is that viewers will let themselves be penetrated by Frida’s stories, and in so doing, live vicariously through her.”
The display will open at different dates in the cities starting on February 3 in Dallas, February 10 in Boston, February 17 in Houston, February 24 in Chicago, March 3 in Denver, and March 31 in both Los Angeles and Toronto. The shows will run for approximately two months in each location.
Basic tickets begin at $39.99, with higher prices available for VIP packages and other add-ons.
Tickets must be purchased in advance for a specific date and time to allow for the display to not be overcrowded. They are available on the exhibit’s website by choosing the city you are interested in and checking for availability.
“Kahlo lived her life as one giant journey of exploration, and her art mirrored that journey,” producer Svetlana Dvoretsky said. “Our goal is to give our viewers more than an examination of her work; we also hope they will leave with a richer understanding of the smart, complex woman who created these timeless masterpieces.”
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