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Van Gogh comes to life this week in Valley

BY ALEX GALLAGHER GetOut Staff Writer

Vincent Van Gogh’s art has been sweeping the nation with its revival in the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit and now fans of his work will be �locking to Scottsdale to see it. The digitally interactive exhibits – which span 500,000 cubic feet of projector screens – opens Thursday, Aug. 26, at Lighthouse Artspace in Old Town and will run through Nov. 28. “This show is a new way of looking at art,” Immersive Van Gogh Creative Director Rowan Doyle said. “On one hand it is an art exhibit, but that’s only the beginning,” Corey Ross, President of Lighthouse Productions said. “Technically it’s a short-animated �ilm.” The exhibit offers several ways for guests to explore the many works of Vincent Van Gogh, the Dutch painter who is best known for paintings like “The Starry Night,” “Sun�lowers” and several self- portraits. “Van Gogh was the hi-tech artist of his day,” Ross said. “His inspiration and his ability to capture ‘The Starry Night’ was a technological innovation.” Beyond his postmortem fame for innovation and creativity as an artist, Van Gogh also has gained notoriety for his battle with mental health – which culminated in him cutting off his own ear and eventually taking his life. “I think Van Gogh as a subject matter works well because dif�iculties he had with depression and isolation have become more relatable,” Ross said. “When you come out into these galleries and realize that he struggled with the same things that many of us have had to in the last year and that the art has transcended the troubles that he had, people were �inding that cathartic and inspirational, so I think that’s part of why the show has become part of the zeitgeist.” The last years of Van Gogh’s life have become the most studied time of his life, and the exhibit offers more of a re�lection of what may have been �lashing through Van Gogh’s mind before his passing created by videographer Massimiliano Siccardi. “This is really a �ilm that Massimiliano Siccardi has created and the way he explains it is he’s trying to capture what might have �lashed before Van Gogh’s eyes the moments before he passed away,” Ross said. The 40-minute �ilm, played on a continuous loop, features visual representations of some of Van Gogh’s most celebrated works – synchronized with music created by composer Luca Longobardi – across walls covered by projection screens that re�lect onto the �loor of the exhibit, giving viewers an immersive experience. Beyond the main exhibit, Immersive Van Gogh offers several other attractions that help understand the mysterious life of the famed artist. The exhibit has a timeline of the artist’s life and quotes from some of the 800 letters he penned, mostly to his brother Theo. In total, there are over 40 paintings featured and over 400 images have been licensed as part of the exhibit. “To have a show like this, which is the �irst thing that many people have experienced coming out of their homes and coming in to see any type of entertainment or exhibit has been very rewarding for our audiences,” Ross said. There are several measures in place to encourage social distancing within the exhibit like circles for people to stand in the main exhibit and tickets that can be purchased to attend at a certain time of the day. “We give people a time to arrive so we can control the volume of people in the gallery, but we don’t give people a time to leave, so people will often come in and stay for a couple iterations of it,” Ross said. VanGogh is the �irst exhibit to inhabit Lighthouse Productions, which used to be the of�ice space for corporate tenants like Carvana. “Lighthouse Artspace Scottsdale is really a new cultural art space that merges art, technology and immersive world

Among the exhibits are several of Van Gogh’s self portraits. (PabloRobles/Tribune Sta Pho-

tographer )

The experience at the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit in Scottsdale is enhanced by special

music. (Pablo Robles/Tribune Sta Photographer)

VAN GOGH ���� ���� 26

building in a unique entertainment experience,” Diana Rayzman, Immersive Van Gogh co-producer and co-founder of Impact Museums.

Lighthouse Productions is also committed to bring more shows to Scottsdale after Immersive Van Gogh closes.

“This is not a touring show, this is a permanent installation he re,” Ross said. “Our hope is that Massimiliano (Siccardi) and other artists will bring us fabulous creations that we can exhibit in the years to come.”

Rayzman hopes that the exhibit will be bene�icial to the many other artistic sites in Scottsdale. “After a really dif�icult year and a half, we are so thrilled to bring thousands of visitors every day to this community and hope that our guests will stay to experience the many things this town has to offer,” she said.

Ross is also excited to see how the exhibit works in Scottsdale and believes it will change the way we view art.

“I really think this is the beginning of a whole movement and will be really exciting to see where this goes,” he said. ■

If You Go...

What: Immersive Van Gogh Where: Lighthouse Artspace 4301 N. Scottsdale Road When: Aug. 26-Nov. 28 Cost: Tickets: $55-$100 Info: Immersivevangogh.com

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