AUSTIN, Texas – The Circuit of the Americas race track in Austin, Texas is home to the Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix. But there’s an exhibit on the track grounds that also might make your head spin.
Beyond Van Gogh presents the painter in a new light.
“Felt very safe,” says Andrew Leal, taking in the exhibit. “Very clean and sanitary. Nothing made me feel like I was in any danger or at risk of getting COVID-19.”
Before it makes its Midwest debut in St. Louis in October, FOX 2 is the only St. Louis news station getting to see the immersive experience before it arrives in the Gateway City.
A visual experience, Beyond Van Gogh transports visitors into the art and inspiration of Vincent Van Gogh, transported outside of the frame and projected onto the floor and fabric walls around you.
“Organized and spaced out and you felt like you were walking into a painting maybe,” says Cassandra Bujanda, taking in the exhibit.
Giving an opportunity to see how the Dutch painter might have imagined his Starry Night 133 years in the future.
“Everyone thinks of Van Gogh and his ear was cut off,” says Bujanda. “But you learn why, there’s a background to it and he was a very emotional artist and I think his paintings, he verbalized everything on a canvas.”
Beyond Van Gogh seems the appropriate exhibit in the pandemic world.
With plenty of space to inhabit the spaces and faces that Vincent viewed throughout his time in Paris and the French countryside.
“I thought it was all…Because COVID-19, I was very concerned it was going to be sanitized or appropriate and it was perfectly done,” says Bujanda. “Everything was organized, and I learned more about Van Gogh than I normally would have.”
“Extremely immersive,” adds Leal. “It’s all around you and you kind of become a part of the painting and get an inside view looking outwards of what it’s all about. You get to step back and take your own perception into play and see maybe what he was trying to go after in some of his works.”
The family-friendly or date night surefire exhibit is sure to keep you talking and looking into the world of Van Gogh or art in general.