Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience
Take a drive to Miami to immerse yourself in the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh in “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience,” a 360-degree, digital art exhibition that invites you to step into the universe of the Dutch painter and see his works like they haven’t been seen before.
The organizers, Exhibition Hub, say that digital art has been shown to have health benefits, including lowering stress, blood pressure, and anxiety, and is soothing to the soul.
The exhibit is installed at the historic 1926 Olympia Theater in Miami with its Mediterranean courtyard. Step into a 20,000-square-foot light and sound spectacular and take a virtual reality trip through eight of Van Gogh’s works and their source of inspiration in “A Day in the Life of the Artist in Arles, France.”
Explore his life, his work, and his secrets through cutting-edge digital projections, a one-of-a-kind virtual reality experience, and an atmospheric light and sound show. Become completely immersed in the works of art around you, and dive deep into the world created by Van Gogh’s imagination and brush strokes.
Five iconic spring paintings to spot at the Van Gogh Immersive Experience include “Almond Blossoms,” “Fishing in Spring,” “Sunflowers,” “Irises,” and “Flowering Orchid.”
The experience is offered in both English and Spanish and runs through Labor Day. Tickets are available through Fever at vangoghexpo.com/miami.
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami
While you’re in Miami, check out two spring exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA): “Lonnie Holley: If You Really Knew” and the South Florida Cultural Consortium exhibition. Both exhibitions are on view through Oct. 1.
“If You Really Knew” provides an intimate and focused look at the career of Birmingham, Alabama-born artist and musician Lonnie Holley. The exhibition, curated by MOCA curator Adeze Wilford, features 70 works including foundational “sandstone” sculptures, new works on paper, and large-scale quilt paintings depicting faces. Known for his unique style of art that draws inspiration from his life experiences, Holley often incorporates found objects and everyday materials into his work.
The South Florida Cultural Consortium exhibition brings together 12 artists working across various media, including sculpture, film, and site-specific installations. The exhibition, hosted by MOCA, provides a snapshot of the breadth and depth of the artistic talent in the South Florida art scene. The 12 artists are Farley Aguilar, Gabino A. Castelán, Nereida Garcia-Ferraz, Moira Holohan, Francesco Lo Castro, Tory Mata, Beatriz Monteavaro, Ema Ri, Asser Saint-Val, Carin Wagner, Carrington Ware, and Addison Wolff.
For more information, visit mocanomi.org.
Cultural Council for Palm Beach County—Biennial
Closer to home, head north to Lake Worth for a visit to the Biennial exhibit sponsored by the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County and curated by guest curator Juana Williams. On display are works by more than 30 artists, showcasing the diversity and breadth of work created by artists living and working in the Palm Beaches.
A juried show, presented every two years, the exhibition features works that span a variety of media, including video, painting, photography, and sculpture.
If you go, check out the three award-winning artists from the show: Boca Raton-based artist Fulya Acikgoz earned Best of Show for her oil painting “Turkish Porcelain Plates.” Delray Beach-based artist Lucia Gomez earned second place for her mixed-media oil painting “City Memoirs No. 2853.” And Lake Park-based artist Lupe Lawrence earned third place for her oil painting “I Will Fly a Kite.”
Other regional artists on display include Boca Raton’s Gregory Dirr, a multidisciplinary artist, painter and sculptor Nadine Saitlin, printmaker Ted Shaine, and Delray Beach-based painter Karen H. Salup.
The exhibit is free and open to the public through June 24. Visit www.palmbeachculture.com.
Coral Springs Museum of Art—Juan Abuela, “Pressure”
Fascination with everyday objects, the utilitarian versus the nonutilitarian, is the focus of Juan Abuela’s work. The Cuban-born, Miami-based artist’s work is the consequence of his passion for painting, design, and carpentry. He appropriates different objects to discuss why and how they are stripped of their functions, transformed, and revealed in their new design with the intention to balance matter and spirit.
Abuela researches the inner world and what is not seen: the hidden, mystical, and intangible. It emphasizes the importance of a necessary balance with its counterpart (appearance, brightness, color, tangibility, etc.). These “two universes” must balance in order to function. His work represents the parallel between these two worlds and reflects the different attitudes and behaviors that can create conflict.
The exhibit runs through June 17. Also on display: “Selections from the Permanent Collection,” through June 17; and Luke Jenkins and “Empty Walls,” running June 26 to Aug. 12. Visit CoralSpringsMuseum.org.
Cornell Museum at Old School Square
Cornell Museum at Old School Square in downtown Delray Beach presents “The World of Water.” This exhibition explores artistic interpretation and connection to water, the environment, conservation, and sustainability. The showcase includes a total of 43 pieces by 20 artists, featuring textural elements in mixed-media sculpture, installations, glass, digital and film photography, and oil and watercolor paintings.
See glass artist Josh Fradis’s glass sculpture of mother and baby jellyfish titled “Just Follow Me”; conceptual photographer Kasha McKee’s photographs of flamingos splashing in the West Palm Beach fountain; and Boca Raton artist and printmaker Ron Garrett’s “Manatee Lament,” an 84 x 32 x 26, mixed-media sculpture of a motorboat-scarred manatee bringing attention to the environmental threats faced by these “tearful, life-sized gentle giants.”
Boca Raton multimedia artist Lynn Doyal’s photograph, titled “Dew from Heaven,” a digital image painted with acrylic and hand-stitched with beads and thread, depicts an original photograph of a dew drop on a leaf enhanced with her mixed-media technique.
Multidisciplinary artist Dave Rosenthal brings the sound of water to life to augment the viewing experience with a sensory and auditory musical experience.
The exhibition is curated by the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority cultural arts director, Marusca Gatto, and Debby Coles-Dobay of Art Moves You.
All work is for sale by artist. The exhibit runs through June 25. For more information, visit oldschoolsquare.org.