ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Why look at a normal-sized painting when you can see art that's larger than life?
That's the idea of immersive art exhibits. You may have heard of big cities hosting these types of events.
Well, you don't have to travel too far to see one yourself.
At the Van Gogh Alive exhibit at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, you can walk into that prolific painter's world of art.
"It's completely a 'wow' experience," said Travis Tatham, Director of Destination Entertainment and Event Programming at the Biltmore.
Inside the space, a darkened ballroom is transformed by 3,000 projections showcasing 900 works of art by the one and only Vincent Van Gogh.
"You're totally immersed from the minute you hit the door," said Tatham.
She and her team worked for over two years to bring these paintings from the brushstroke to the Biltmore.
"To see them on the giant screens and be surrounded by that, and that set to a classical score of music, it just gives you just a phenomenal feeling inside to experience that," said Tatham.
Step inside the dark exhibit that comes alive with the sights, sounds, and smells -- yes, there are floral scent machines -- of sunflowers and a starry night.
"You've heard the song, starry starry night, paint your palette blue and gray," visitor Cheryl Thomas sang.
"You've got to see it's awesome," she said. "In fact, I would get on Facebook and tell my peeps, because it goes around the country."
Thomas made the trip from Sevierville to Asheville to pay tribute to one of her favorite painters.
"We went to see Van Gogh Alive because I do those Diamond Dotz paintings and I've done eight of his," she said.
The 45-minute art exhibit takes you through Van Gogh's life, from his early life in the Netherlands to his time in a mental hospital and eventual death in France.
"There are over 1,000 quotes that he wrote and if you read those quotes, they're just really inspirational," said Tatham. "And I think that just adds to our immersive experience at Biltmore."
Housed in Biltmore’s Amherst at Deerpark exhibition space, those rooms designed for a different audience are taking on a new style.
"This building was originally built to be a location for groups and functions for large groups, and obviously COVID changed that business model for us," said Tatham. "So at that point, we decided well how do we overcome that and create something that we can utilize the space for, and still capitalize on guest experiences?"
Be it landscapes or portraits, 91,000 people have viewed Van Gogh through a different lens.
"When I walked in, I was like, 'you've got to be kidding me.' It's cool," said Thomas.
Your point of view is up to you.
Sit on the sides, lay near the screens, or stand in the center to relax and immerse yourself in art.
Van Gogh Alive runs through March 5.
The Biltmore will then hold similar immersive exhibits with the works of Claude Monet starting March 9 through July 10.
Then an immersive Leonardo da Vinci exhibit will run from July 14 to January 8 of next year.
You must purchase a ticket to the Biltmore Estate to access these exhibits.