The Frugalista Life

The Van Gogh Immersive Experience gives new insight into the life of the troubled artist

by Alexandria Ebron

Vincent Van Gogh is really making his rounds in Tampa as of late. Dalia and I to the Van Gogh Immersive Experience earlier this month because I was invited out to see the exhibition and since I was Dalia’s plus-1 to her Van Gogh event, it only makes sense for me to extend the invitation to her. I left knowing a lot more about Van Gogh than I did before. Did you know Vincent van Gogh has sisters? I think his relationship with his brother Theo is more well known, but I thought it was interesting his sisters had zero inches in his art until after his death.

I got the chance to speak to John Zaller, executive producer of the exhibition. I was raving to him about my and Dalia’s experience and he says the exhibition is set up that way so visitors are completely immersed in the work and thoughts of Van Gogh. Putting together the exhibition was no small feat either. Zaller says they started working on an exhibition in either 2016 or 2017 and it took about two years to develop the concept, with tweaks along the way.

@alleyomalleycat

The @vangogh.experience was such a delight and an insane learning experience. #vlog #tampa #tampablogger

♬ Tyla Water – Made By J

“And the goal really with the immersive experience, is for you to engage with the art in a different way where you learn, you see it, you experience it, you’re opened up emotionally, and then all this stuff that, all these, all the story, the story of the artist just flows into you naturally,” says Zaller. “And like, for example, the flower paintings with the vase immersive area is one of my favorites because those paintings are so beautiful.”

At the exhibition, you can explore several smaller galleries with different projections and a nine foot tall bust of Van Gogh. I caught a glimpse of one projection and it mentioned he was colorblind and that impacted how he saw the paintings. You really do learn something new every day. The Van Gogh Immersive experience really goes into detail about his life and even his struggles with mental health. We all know Van Gogh famously cut off his ear. I was surprised to know it wasn’t because of a lover’s quarrel, but because of a disagreement he had with fellow artist and friend Paul Gauguin. The experience didn’t shy away from mentioning his quarrels and how they affected his relationships, both personal and platonic.

I enjoyed the entire experience, but I really like being in the room with the sunflowers. It felt like I was somewhere else. For a few minutes I thought the sunflowers were real until my intrusive thoughts got the best of me and I quickly realized they weren’t.

Stay tuned for the awesome storytelling in the 3D experience at the end. It was a wild ride.

Find the Van Gogh Immersive Experience at 4636 N Dale Mabry Highway close to Steinbrenner Field and Raymond James. Get your tickets at VanGoghExpo.com/tampa.