Drive in to immerse yourself in Van Gogh in Toronto this summer

A dazzling digital art exhibition on Vincent Van Gogh is heading to Toronto in June as both a walk-in and drive-in experience, giving visitors the chance to immerse themselves inside the Dutch master's larger-than-life paintings.

With the widespread closures of cultural attractions as part of measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, drive-in experiences, where social distancing is pretty much guaranteed, have become popular in recent weeks. In Toronto, what was supposed to be a walk-in exhibition on Vincent Van Gogh has adapted to the pandemic by hosting a temporary drive-in experience for visitors, with the original walk-in exhibit postponed until July.

eople attend a press visit of the immersive exhibition — The walk-in exhibition has been postponed until July, with drive-in previews scheduled for June ©Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

Organisers said after a year of planning and purchasing the rights to more than 400 pieces of Van Gogh work from different museums, they didn't want to abandon the project which was due to begin on 1 May. So they found a compromise that would allow them to stick to current physical distancing guidelines.

"We just had to pivot," said co-producer Svetlana Dvoretsky told CBC News. "People have to see the light at the end of the tunnel and also the light during this situation."

The five-storey Toronto Star building in Younge Street will host Immersive van Gogh, a sound-and-light installation that brings Van Gogh's paintings to life in a stunning projection against the walls of the former printing press, accompanied by music from Italian composer Luca Longobardi. Visitors can drive into the warehouse, switch off their engines and get swept up in the Dutch painter's masterpieces, including Sunflowers, Starry Night and The Bedroom.

Digital Van Gogh exhibition — The exhibition comes from the creators of the same Atelier des Lumières exhibit in Paris ©Chesnot/Getty Images

“The lights go down and the projection begins,” co-producer Corey Ross told CBC News. "It will be almost as if the car is floating through the paintings."

The exhibition comes from the creators of the famous Atelier des Lumières exhibit in Paris, which has been seen by over two million visitors. Tickets cost $95 CAD ($US68) per two-person vehicle for the drive-in experience and includes entrance into the original walk-through exhibit upon its re-opening in July. Tickets for the walk-in exhibit start at $35 CAD ($US25).