The Monets Garten exhibition is a new immersive exhibition that recently opened at Marx Halle in Vienna. The format of immersive exhibitions integrates digital technologies to convey the message of the artist. Since this new concept really interests me I went to check out this exhibition.
This immersive art experience lets the visitor dive into the world of Claude Monet – one of the most influential impressionists of all time. With the use of modern technologies like 3D mapping projection systems this exhibition becomes a great opportunity to experience the approach of Monet when creating art. It shows in an impressive way the huge art output of this exceptional painter.
Experience Monet in a new Light
At the center of the exhibition, as the title already states, is the garden of Monet – to be more precise the garden in Giverny. Giverny the place where he finally settled down by the end of his life. It was there that he found some of his greatest inspirations. At the center of the last room before the immersive experience they recreated the house in Giverny.
It was in this house that Monet created many of his famous paintings that depicted the water lilies in the pond, the Japanese bridge and a weeping willow tree.
The visitor of the Monets Garten exhibition can grasp a feeling of this place when entering a model of the house. Inside is a huge art installation where the visitor can interactively experience the vibrance of the colors of Monet’s paintings.
I liked this part of the exhibition quite a lot. In front of the house there are flowers, artificial ones but still, and benches where one can imagine being there in the North of France. In front of the house they put a small bar for beverages and snacks. And since I was so fascinated by all this I ran straight to the obligatory gift shop not paying much attention to the entrance to the immersive experience part. So walking past the gift shop I almost exited the exhibition by accident. But that is probably just me. So pay attention there are a few entrances and exits to this part.
Art meets Technology
Immersive art exhibitions are not a completely new form of exhibition. It is still a new and great way to experience art. I believe especially for those that are not too much into art per se. I have also visited the previous exhibition in Vienna – the Klimt Experience – and I can see similarities in the layout. In the first few rooms the visitor usually gets a timeline of the life of the artist and then there is a gradual transition to the immersive experience which takes place in one huge room.
Depending on the location of the exhibition it can be that all walls, floor and ceiling are projection surfaces. In the case of the Monet exhibition here in Vienna there was none on the ceiling but on the floor. What I really liked was the mirrors at the center of the room. It added a nice gimmick. I also liked that there was a narrator that was telling the story of Monet’s life. That part gave meaning to the projected images. Projecting images on the floor was awesome. It gave the whole immersive experience a more 3D feel.
Immersive Exhibitions – My Conclusion
For me this concept of immersive exhibitions is still in its infant stage and needs more development. Of course, curation of traditional exhibitions has a tradition of many decades. Maybe one can say immersive exhibitions are around for 10 years. Certainly not a long time and the development of new and more advanced digital technologies are progressing year by year.
So one needs to see every exhibition with a time stamp of when that particular exhibition was created. What I find a bit sad is the fact that none of these exhibitions exhibit one original painting of the artist. Yet, experiencing original art is such a subjective one. Seeing the original work – something that is sometimes many many centuries old is an experience by itself.
Maybe in the future the two concepts of traditional and immersive exhibitions may also merge more. So that digital technologies are getting part of traditional exhibitions. Immersive experiences of artists like Monet are definitely a way to get people interested in art that were not interested before. It might also be an evolution that can attract the Generation Z and following – those that consume their content mostly through instagram and tiktok.
More Information
I booked my ticket in advance. Like with many other immersive exhibition you book your day and time window when you want to enter the exhibition. How long you stay inside is up to you. The exhibition itself goes until 22 January 2023. You can reach the exhibition site by taking U3 to Schlachthausgasse.
Get tickets on the following site
Marx Halle: https://marxhalle.at
