An hour to experience the work of Vincent van Gogh: We already visited the exhibition ‘Van Gogh Alive’, in the Policentro (Guayaquil)

From this weekend you and your family can stay 25 minutes immersed in compositions by Chopin, Dvorak, Vivaldi and other names from the classical repertoire while enjoying the work of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh projected in gigantic format.

Lying on comfortable chairs beanbagsitting on discreet benches, on the floor or just standing, you will feel how it becomes an additional element in every work of the world famous artist of today, thanks to the experience offered by the immersive space of the Van Gogh Vivo exhibitioninaugurated this week in the Policentro shopping center.

But before you reach that enveloping stage, there are many more corners to enjoy, starting with the welcome video that introduces the group of visitors to work and life (with a tragic undertone) of the painter, who probably committed suicide in 1890 with a shot to the chest.

Then -and so that there is no doubt to whom the exhibition pays homage-, A display of Van Gogh’s self-portraits awaits you (he painted 38 in total) and if you dare to take a self-portrait, a few steps away you will find a table for the purpose, with some installed face mirrors and brief instructions to help you achieve a better artistic result. “When he couldn’t find models to pose, Vincent would put a mirror in front of him to work on his own portrait,” he explains.

In every room you visit –like Van Gogh’s colorful room (The bedroom in Arles1988)– you will find a specialized guide which you will receive to add comments and current data to what is observed nearby and other explanatory videos. In total, your tour can last 1 hour.

“I think our expectations have already been fulfilled to a large extent. We have a huge number of reservations, more than 20,000 students from schools scheduled in the coming weeks, we have achieved a very important pre-sale, so we are happy that Guayaquil has received this exhibition so well and I believe that Quito’s success will be repeated,” said Nicolás Romero, director of Arriba El Telón Ecuador, company that organizes the exhibition in collaboration with Cooltural Holanda BV.

The potato peeler (1885), farmer cooking (1985) and farmers head (1884) are other works by the artist that stand out thanks to technology light walls. But the sites you definitely want on your Instagram are the tunnel of The Starry Night (1889) and the installation filled with sunflowersa flower that was revered by the painter during his lifetime and which he constantly repeated in his artistic production, convinced that the yellow color meant joy (the feeling he always longed for).

Another magical sample site is the windmill (almost halfway) that will also allow you to immerse yourself behind closed doors in the intense yellow of the sunflowers, which multiply thanks to the mirrors in thel interior of the small construction.

And so you don’t leave the show empty handed, at the end of the route you will find a small shop with a keepsakes such as t-shirts, bags, keychains, mugs, hoodies and even keychains with Van Gogh’s plastic ear in different colours.

On the same site, a small cafeteria is furnished with tables and chairs (in the spirit of the times) and a menu with hot and cold drinks and dishes such as potato omelette (portion or whole), papas bravas, Spanish croquettes, meatballs in spanish sauce, pork sandwich, sunflower biscuits and more.

Schematics: The exhibition is open from Tuesday to Friday (12:00 PM to 8:00 PM), Saturday (11:00 AM to 9:00 PM), Sunday and public holidays (11:00 AM to 7:30 PM), until Thursday 31 August.

ticket purchase: are for sale on the internet www.ticketshow.com.ec or at the counter in the mall. The costs vary per day. From Tuesday to Friday: seniors and people with disabilities, $3; children, $4; and adults, $6. Saturday and Sunday: seniors and people with disabilities, $4; children, $4; and adults, $8.