Van Gogh Alive

They could have titled this better, really. No physical paintings. Presented by the Grande Exhibitions and VisionsCom, "Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition" is a "fusion of art and audio-visual technology, showcasing more than 3000 Van Gogh images to tell his story" by projecting it onto the spaces.

The signs outside the entrance stated 'no photography'. I was disrespectful and sneaked a shot anyway. It's a little lame, but okay, it's kinda interesting. But I got bored pretty soon. The gallery doesn't quite make me want to linger. The accompanying music is someone else's interpretation of how it would complement each art piece. The end result, I feel, is disjointed. Too many things going on. Perhaps it's intended to mimic Van Gogh's tortured mental state before his eventual death.

I like staring at paintings, not projections. The combination of music, space and wooden floor made me feel like waltzing through the spaces. Which I did, and made the girlfriend's eyes roll. A solo Japanese-butoh performance by Kae Ishimoto is planned for September where she'll dance a contemporary interpretation of 'The Courtesan (after Eisen)'. That would be rather interesting.