It’d be foolish to deny the popularity of multi-sensory art exhibitions that have been agressively taking over art spaces around the world across the past few years. Aussie’s saw just how popular the trend was with the pop-up Van Gough Alive and Monet & Friends exhibitions in Sydney last year, and there have been several other examples of how large-scale digital art has been used to brilliant effect in cities like Tokyo – popularised by teamLab – and Paris. It was really just a matter of time before something like this happened – that is, the Hall des Lumieres Digital Art Space, set to open in New York this month.
The immersive digital art space will be located at 49 Chambers Street, taking over a heritage former teller hall and vault beneath what was once the Beaux-Arts Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank. Most of the building was converted by luxury condos a few years ago so it seems residents will have to contend with having New York’s latest museum in their building.
The inaugural installation for Hall des Lumières looks to showcase just how different this museum will be from the countless other art spaces that pepper New York’s five boroughs such as MoMA PS1 in Queens and The Whitney in Meatpacking District. Focused around works by Gustav Klimt, the debut installation will feature 30-foot high images of the legendary Austrian artist’s most famous symbolist works including ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II’ and ‘The Kiss.’
Gianfranco Lannuzzi will spearhead the exhibition – an appointed based off his work with the ‘Vincent van Gough Starry Night’ exhibition in Paris gallery Atelier des Lumières.
Totalling 31,615-square-feet, Hall des Lumieres New York will easily be the largest digital art center in the Big Apple and one of the most prominent in the country. It is owned and operated as a joint venture between Culturespaces, which set up the aforementioend Atelier des Lumières in Paris, and IMG, a global events, sports and talent management company.
“By embracing cutting-edge multimedia technology, I have been able to create and develop a rich, immersive and interactive musical and visual environment over the year,” said Lunnuzzi.
“It has given me the opportunity to play with difference sense and emotions, placing the public at the very heart of the experience and inviting them to move through a multi-dimensional space where they end up becoming an integral part of the work, surrounded by images on the walls, floors and ceilings.”
If you’re planning any trips to New York City within the next few months, note that the ‘Gustav Klimt: Gold in Motion’ exhibition at Hall des Lumieres kicks off on September 14. There will six distinct sequences as visitors move throughout the digital art space, taking them through Klimt’s fabled career.
Standard admission tickets to the museum are $30 per person.
Hall des Lumieres New York
Address: 49 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007
Opening Hours: Sunday – Wednesday (10 am – 7 pm); Thursday – Saturday (10 am – 10 pm)
