Immersive experiences augment the art shows
Just a few years ago, I would have vehemently said, that art lived only on the walls, behind a glass veil, in the hushed halls of galleries as if in abditory. To engage with it, I would desperately need my own imagination—a silent conversation between the artist and me, but always at a distance.
But then, one evening, I found myself in one of the most popular immersive art exhibitions, “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.” With a seamless blending of digital art, informative content, and virtual reality, it treated visitors to a truly immersive experience. A fully immersive room with a 360° digital showcase. Through projectors, 200 of Van Gogh’s masterpieces came to life. I was enveloped in the artwork as the floors and walls were animated around them. A separate 10-minute virtual reality experience allowed guests like me to step into a day in the life of the artist. This immersive exhibition exemplified how museums can engage tech-savvy audiences in exploring culture and art.
Photo Courtesy: Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience London
Immersive art experiences using AR and VR are transforming how we interact with art, offering new dimensions of exploration and engagement, from virtual galleries to interactive installations.
In a lot many ways, these immersive experiences are helping the art industry reach out seamlessly across the length and breadth of the continents, to remote corners of the world, while also providing a sustainable way to hold shows and exhibitions. This is a boon to the industry, that has come under scrutiny for its environmental impact, primarily due to Art Fairs and Art Shows, with an estimated global carbon footprint of around 70 million tonnes of CO2 per annum. In a lot many ways, immersive interventions are transcending borders and bringing the experiences to our shores.
Virtual Galleries and Exhibitions:
VR allows for the creation of virtual art galleries and exhibitions, making art accessible to a global audience from the comfort of their homes. Platforms like VRChat and Mozilla Hubs host virtual exhibitions, allowing viewers to explore and interact with artworks in a new way.
360-Degree Art and Immersive Environments:
Artists can create 360-degree VR experiences that transport viewers into entirely new worlds, blurring the lines between physical and digital art. For example, artist Rachel Rossin combines traditional painting techniques with VR to create immersive environments. Rossin has exhibited her virtual environments and paintings at art fairs in Miami, New York, and Seattle, as well as in group exhibitions at museums in Shanghai, Helsinki, and Pittsburgh.
Photo Courtesy: Galerie Magazine | Detail of two works by Rachel Rossin:
Interactive Art Installations:
AR and VR can be used to create interactive art installations, where viewers can engage with artworks in a dynamic and engaging way.
Enhanced Museum Experiences:
Museums are leveraging AR and VR to enrich visitor experiences, offering immersive journeys into the lives and works of artists. For example, the Musée d'Orsay's virtual reality experience, "Van Gogh's Palette," allows visitors to explore Van Gogh's techniques and masterpieces.
Photo Courtesy: Musée d'Orsay | Virtual Reality - Van Gogh’s Palette
Collaborative Art:
VR allows artists from different parts of the world to collaborate in real-time, creating 3D artworks together in a shared virtual space.
Immersive Storytelling:
AR and VR can be used to create immersive storytelling experiences, allowing viewers to become part of the narrative.
AR and VR in Education:
AR and VR can be used in art and design education, allowing students to literally step inside their own creations and the creations of others. Solution providers, like, Cappasity has been helping museums create a new generation of virtual exhibitions where every piece of art is fully interactive. These solutions allow visitors to interact with exhibits, change angles of perception, and closely examine even the tiniest details. Even educational institutions like The New York Academy of Art uses such solutions to share its capabilities with their sculpture students and faculty.
Besides the "Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience", that truly features a fully immersive room with a 360° digital showcase, where Van Gogh's masterpieces come to life, there is "Van Gogh's Palette"; a VR experience at the Musée d'Orsay that allows visitors to explore Van Gogh's techniques and masterpieces from his Auvers-sur-Oise period. And "Surreal 360"; an AR experience that brings Salvador Dali's surrealist works to life. Furthermore, As part of the landmark Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, the Louvre introduced its first-ever VR experience. Focusing on the iconic Mona Lisa masterpiece, this VR experience allowed visitors to interact with the painting in virtual space. Participants could explore the intricacies of the world’s most famous painting, stepping beyond the traditional viewing experience to closely examine hidden details not visible to the naked eye. Through “Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass,” guests discovered a fresh perspective on this beloved piece of art.
Photo Courtesy: Musée du Louvre
The Future of Immersive Art:
In just a few years, immersive experiences have evolved from simple digital projections to fully interactive journeys that engage all our senses. What once felt like a novelty—stepping inside a painting or feeling part of an exhibit—has now become an expansive and evolving frontier. With the rapid advancements in AR and VR, the boundaries of what we can experience are dissolving, allowing us to engage with art, nature, and even entire cities in ways we never imagined.
The future holds endless possibilities—where physical walls and heights no longer limit us, and where we can walk with endangered animals, float through distant galaxies, or experience history unfolding right before our eyes. As technology continues to push immersion forward, one thing is certain: we are only at the beginning of a revolution that will redefine how we see, feel, and connect with the world around us.
Next Week: What did the UBS - Art Basel's 2025 survey tell us this year?
Dipayan has been a digital transformation consultant and advisor for over two decades to large multinational firms, with a keen interest in data and AI and a patent in cognitive AI and blockchain. He has worked with clients across Asia Pacific, EMEA and Americas. He is also a practising internationally acclaimed abstract artist for over a decade. His works are shown across various galleries and museums in New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dubai and India, awarded in Florence and Venice, and have been included in numerous private art collections in New York, London, Kolkata and Mumbai. He lives and works out of Mumbai in India.