Seeing an original Van Gogh or Monet can be an exhilarating experience. But what would it feel like to step into one?
A new digital art gallery, Infinity des Lumieres, hopes to give visitors such an experience through video projection and screen displays of famous artworks, specifically by Van Gogh, Monet, Chagall and Dali, as well as 19th-century Japanese art.
Set to open at The Dubai Mall in early 2021, Infinity des Lumieres is really about technological spectacle rather art – it operates on 130 video projectors, 58 speakers and a digital facade of 379 screens. About 3,000 high-definition digital moving images of artworks are beamed across thousands of square metres of surfaces, including walls and floorings to provide what it calls an "immersive digital experience".
Once opened, the gallery will be the biggest in the GCC.
Last year, the Theatre of Digital Art, another entertainment company, unveiled a similar immersive art exhibition at Madinat Jumeirah titled From Monet to Kandinsky. It included projections of works by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Munch, Kandinsky and others.
The arrival of Infinity des Lumieres to the UAE this year is the result of a partnership between local venture InfinityArt and Culturespaces Digital. The latter is a French company that has been producing immersive sound and art shows since 2012. Among their most popular digital venues include L'Atelier des Lumieres in Paris and Bunker des Lumieres in South Korea. Over the years, Culturespaces Digital’s immersive venues have attracted 2 million visitors.
Dubai's Infinity des Lumieres will showcase the Van Gogh, Dreamed Japan and Verse exhibitions. The Van Gogh exhibit will include projects of the Dutch painter's famous Sunflowers (1888), Starry Night (1889) and Bedroom at Arles (1889).
Meanwhile, Dreamed Japan steps into the world of 19th-century Japanese art, with portraits and landscapes by Hokusai, the artist who created the well-known work The Great Wave. There are also animations of geishas and samurai warriors.
Verse is a work by filmmaker and composter Thomas Vanz, who has created journey through the cosmos, replete with black holes and supernovae, accompanied by an orchestral piece by Jonathan Fitas.
Opening dates and prices for Infinity des Lumieres have yet to be announced.
