Lighthouse Immersive to Host Showcase Events with Garip Ay at Immersive Van Gogh

For a limited time, famed Ebru artist Garip Ay will take up a brief residency at Immersive Van Gogh, now open at the Lighthouse Artspace, 1 Yonge Street, Toronto. Perfect for anyone looking for a memorable, family-friendly outing this holiday season, visitors to the popular show that catapulted the immersive craze can now also take in a live art performance or workshop with world-famous master marbling artist Garip Ay. Available from December 27th through January 5th, this is a rare opportunity to witness and learn how breathtaking artworks painted on water come to life!

Turkish artist Garip Ay made headlines when his 2016 recreation of Starry Night made him an overnight sensation. He went on to create several notable pieces, including painted characters from the popular Netflix series Stranger Things. The Istanbul-based artist will be in Toronto to introduce audiences to Ebru art, an ancient technique that allows him to create stunning paintings on water.

Garip Ay

While in residency, Garip will present a daily two-hour live performance art show during which he will recreate some of Van Gogh’s greatest masterpieces. Group workshops with Garip will include lessons on basic techniques and an opportunity to create concept-based designs inspired by Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and “Starry Night.” Group classes can be booked on select dates from 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Each lesson will be followed by an opportunity for participants to attend the 1:30 p.m. screening of Immersive Van Gogh. All materials for the works are provided, and a few selections of Garip Ay’s original artwork will be available for purchase.

Starting his art journey at an early age, Garip Ay first specialized in Fine Arts at high school and then continued his art education at the university, focusing on Traditional Arts. In 2006, Ay became acquainted with the Ebru technique widely used by bookbinders. He diligently continued to practice and discovered that in this technique, the process is as important as the result. As a result, Ay directed his attention to creating videos showcasing the Ebru process. As his videos gained wide popularity, he began to receive invitations to collaborate on various projects worldwide, including films, documentaries, music videos, advertisements, and live performances.

With more than six million people around the world having experienced Immersive Van Gogh, the phenomenal success of this blockbuster sensation is an unprecedented Canadian success story. The first exhibit of its kind in North America, Immersive Van Gogh made box office history with an estimated 1 in every 50 Americans having experienced this unique sensory extravaganza. The spectacular digital art exhibition, which inspired numerous copycat exhibits, was dubbed by the New York Times as best in class.

Immersive Van Gogh is completing its final run at Lighthouse Artspace in Toronto. Tickets are available online at www.vangoghexhibit.ca.