Van Gogh city art trail launches, starting with Sunflower-inspired mural at Temple Meads

Bristol’s newest contemporary arts and culture venue, Propyard, and Europe’s largest street art festival, Upfest, have joined forces to bring a Van Gogh-inspired art trail to the streets of Bristol.

Ahead of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience coming to the city from Saturday 9 April, Bristolians can start the trail at Temple Meads station and follow the magnificent murals on a ten minute walk to the exhibition site on Feeder Road.

Painting began earlier this month with one of Bristol’s most celebrated street artists, Farrah Fortnam, creating the murals. Working alongside Upfest to curate the designs, which take inspiration from some of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, Farrah has adapted both Sunflowers and the Starry Night to her own unique style, which takes influence from the natural worlds and delicate ecosystems of the planet.

Farrah comments: “I developed a passion for painting from a love of nature, from my Pakistani heritage and working in the creative world. My style has developed over 15 years and has transformed from a translation of henna and asian patterns into depictions of the natural environment. Since becoming aware and seeing first hand the impact of humans on the oceans and rainforests, I wanted to highlight the climate crisis to the wider public through my street art and paintings.”

“I’m so honoured to be involved in Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience. Van Gogh’s work and life has inspired many artists and to be asked to be part of this incredible event is amazing. I really wanted to capture the feel of his work so I studied his colour palette, movement and compositions to inspire each of the murals. I hope the city enjoys my work and experiences Van Gogh’s incredible talent through this event.”

At the exhibition, visitors are invited to step into more than 300 of Van Gogh’s sketches, drawings, and paintings by using floor-to-ceiling digital projections, made possible by state-of-the-art video mapping technology. As well as the two-storey tall central projection area, the exhibition also includes a one-of-a-kind VR experience in a separate gallery. This multi-sensory experience guides the viewer through a ten-minute journey on “a day in the life of the artist”, providing a chance to discover the inspiration behind some of his most beloved works including Vincent’s Bedroom at Arles, and Starry Night Over The Rhone River.

Parking will be available at Temple Meads car park. Propyard is an accessible venue, is both wheelchair and guide dog friendly and there will be a limited number of blue badge and electric vehicle parking spaces on site.

Created and developed by Exhibition Hub, Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience provides an educational, COVID-safe digital experience and great day out for adults and children alike. Tickets are on sale now via Fever’s marketplace, and start from £16 for adults and £9.50 for children.