_{Immersive Art exhibitions: trailblazing or a gimmick?}

In the past year many TikTok and Instagram feeds have become inundated with videos of immersive art exhibitions. Influencers have invoked jealousy by sharing images of these colourful and theatric projections, one selfie at a time. These art ‘experiences’ invite the public into a psychedelic trance to discover the world of a particular artist’s work.

Immersive art has been defined by Moreston as: "A specialised exhibition genre in museums, which creates the illusion of time and place by representing key characteristics of a reference world and by integrating the visitor in this three-dimension reconstructed world.”

There has been a prominent increase in popularity of these immersive art experiences in the past year worldwide, especially in the UK. The London 100, a London bucket list website, coined 2022 as 'The year of immersive art'.

This trend is reflected in trending search data by Glimpse, a consumer behaviour analysis trending platform, which shows searches for the term 'immersive art' has increased by 102% in the last year globally.

Scott Leary, a Battersea based creative construction company, pinpointed three reasons behind its increasing popularity; the broadening perceptions of what can be done with art which has led to common use of digital art; the pressing need for museums and art galleries to get the public through their doors post pandemic; and finally, a desire for connection.

In the past year these 360°exhibitions have popped up across London, first it was 'Van Gogh London Exhibit: The Immersive Experience' in Spitalfields, then it was Yayoi Kusama's turn with 'Infinity Mirror Rooms' at Tate Modern, and most recently 'Klimt: The Immersive Experience' in Brick Lane. This exhibition shows Klimt's greatest artworks through digital projections and virtual reality (VR).

Glimpse data highlights that immersive art is searched the most on TikTok compared to other social media channels. They presume this might be due to the unusual visual content this type of exhibition generates, which makes it well suited for the app’s short and fast-paced video format.

However, some art critics have criticised these exhibitions for cheapening artworks by stripping them of their context and educational value. However, there has been a large amount of admiration alongside this controversy.

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Some critical discussions surrounding immersive art exhibitions, such as this Klimt one, stem from the fact that the artist is not around to direct/ have a say in how they want their art to be presented to the public. Gustav Klimt was a symbolist painter who died in 1918, decades before the digital revolution began.

Eloisa from the Fever PR team said they chose Gustav Klimt as the focal artist of this exhibition because of his innovative legacy. She said: “Klimt was always innovative and pushed boundaries, it is clear that new mediums were something of interest within his process.” She explained how immersive experiences offer a way to reach new audiences globally, regardless of class and education, and firmly believed that these are principles Klimt would have shared.

Martina agreed and recognised that he was an innovator of his own age so would probably enjoy this immersive exhibition format. She said: “I feel like he would kind of like the representation that a lot of people get to see it in a different manner.” The guest host also alluded to his numerous infamous scandals of presenting his work in different ways in the past.

Ilka was more critical of this presumptuous consent and said: “Perhaps he would be happy to be at the forefront of something new, but I think he was a painter first and foremost. His median was paint, so I think to take that away, he would be less than happy about.” In her opinion, she believes digital immersive art is more suited to living artists' work because they are completely integrated in the whole curation process of these exhibitions. She added: “When you are using a name of a long dead artist you don’t necessarily know what their experiences or feelings would be about it. But when you work with a living artist, they are on board with it 1000%.”

The anonymous visitor didn’t have much prior knowledge of the artist before coming to the exhibition, but equally questioned the curation process and said: “If he was alive would he want this?”

How accessible is art? Who is it made for? In the past many critics have viewed the world of art as exclusive to the upper crust of society who could afford to spend thousands on a painting. However, much modern art has shattered this perspective as it often encourages the public to learn about the context and thought provoking messages that art can communicate.

Eloisa said: “Our mission has always been to democratise access to culture and entertainment. We believe that anyone, anywhere, should have the opportunity to enjoy culture, regardless of class, education or where they live in the world.” Accessibility is clearly the central mantra behind this project, however a standard entry ticket to this particular exhibition on a Sunday sets you back £30.40, excluding the optional £5 VR charge, with no student discount available. So, is this type of exhibition really that accessible to the wider public?

In the Guardian Hettie O’Brien described immersive exhibitions as commercial ventures that charge steep prices. She firmly believes the primary driver behind these exhibitions is “unquestionably financial: its surging popularity coincides with the pressure that many art institutions face to secure funding and diversify audiences, whose expectations have in turn been shaped by the internet.”

When asked about the price Martina listed the preparation, three weeks set up time, staff wages and the ‘new type of experience’ novelty as the main factors behind this expense. She said: “A lot of production has gone into it. A lot of people work here so everything can be justifiable in a way.”

On the other hand, Ilka was shocked about the price and said: “I think art needs to be accessible for everyone, particularly younger audiences. I think concession prices need to be a lot lower for young people because, especially with cost of living now, if we want to make sure people still have a presence of art in their life, and that has to be done affordably.” The Patrons Manager pointed out an unescapable fact; that art always comes with an element of monetisation. She said: “They are capitalising particularly with the Van Gogh and Klimt exhibitions, they are capitalising on artists who were pioneers.” 

Theoretically, immersive art is supposed to draw in Generation Z with their iPhones at the ready to post an enviable Instagram story, however walking around the Klimt exhibition told a different story. Martina revealed that this exhibition had attracted a lot of Boomers.  The anonymous visitor had also picked up on this trend and said: “I guess they are more willing to fork out the money for a new experience…they have probably been going to galleries for a long time and want to experience it in a different way.”

In conclusion, immersive art is often more appealing to the public than a normal gallery because it provides a new experience. Unlike normal art, it is not bound to a frame and exceeds the viewer’s field of vision. It encompasses soundscapes, projections and virtual reality which allows art to become a form open to contemplation from multiple angles.

Over the past few decades, technology has rapidly taken over every part of life with no sign of slowing down. Amongst this, digitalisation has marked its distinctive space in the art scene. However, many who are integrated in the traditional art community have questioned its value and think the artist’s original intentions get lost in this immersive process.

There has been much discussion over the curation of these immersive exhibitions and these interviews suggest that implementing immersive technology would be more suited to modern artists' work, who are alive and willing to be integral directors in this process.

The 21^st century has been marked by its transcendent nature and as we reach the end of 2022, we have seen an abundance of trends within the art and cultural sector come and go. Will immersive art exhibitions will be next to join this infinite heap of fads or is this new kind of innovative digitalisation the future of art? We will have to wait and see.