Trend: Experience 'immersive' art in Prague galleries

In an increasingly digital world, technology has found its way into art, merging traditional mediums with digital projectors, holography, and VR. Immersive art techniques bring famous artworks to life, create new pieces, or serve as complementary elements to intensify the visitors' experience. 

Recently, immersive art experiences have been among the biggest trends in the industry. Digital art exhibits have grown across the world, from Tokyo to Paris to Las Vegas. Prague has also jumped on the bandwagon as more galleries and museums engage the crowds with digital technologies.

We visited the venues in Prague that promise to move art lovers from the sidelines into the heart of the action. 

The World of Banksy exhibit is anything but conventional. Located in the heart of Prague, the two-floor exhibition takes place in a church where Czech religious reformer Jan Hus used to preach in the 15th century. Now, after centuries, the church hosts another reformer and visionary – Banksy, said one of the exhibition's directors Derya Evren. The exhibition is unauthorized by the artist.

"On the second floor of the exhibition, we wanted to preserve the magical atmosphere of the church, so we play liturgical music there," Evren says. "Altogether it creates a strong contrast and sharpens visitors' experience."

Some 115 of Banksy's artworks from around the globe are now unified in a brand new digital concept. The World of Banksy exhibit displays murals, unique pieces from private collectors, graffitis, canvases, projections of his artworks, video installations, and more. 

Walking through the exhibition of the maverick artist, visitors are faced with serious, provoking, sensitive, and sometimes even concealed issues of today's society – from military occupations to capitalist takeover. Banksy's dark humor pushes an emotional response and sparks curiosity, while the immersive elements of the exhibit, such as music, digital elements, and the venue itself, open new ways for interpretation.

Known for his commercial posters and advertisements, Alfons Mucha was a Czech artist who defined the Art Nouveau movement. His work and name resulted in the Art Nouveau period sometimes being referred to as the "Mucha style."

The exhibition at Obecní dům is based on the most comprehensive collection of works by Mucha, the foundations of which were initially laid by Ivan Lendl, the former top-ranked tennis player in the world.

The iMucha exhibit brings the artist's work to life through first-rate animation. The experience of immersing into feminine, blooming, and dreamy artworks is enhanced by music composer Michal Dvořák created specifically for the show.

The creators breathed life into Mucha himself as he speaks to the visitors from the painting and welcomes them to his exhibition.

Although one might think that digital innovations only work well in tandem with more dynamic and expressive art styles, an exhibition at the Lobkowicz Palace shows how technology can enliven any artwork and enable visitors to reinterpret their art-viewing experience.

The exhibition at the Lobkowicz Palace offers an unprecedented opportunity to see what lies beneath the surface of the painting, allowing specialists and art lovers alike to study the work in minute detail. 

Visitors to the Bruegel Room can discover the smallest details in "Haymaking" on touchscreen monitors. "They can take a fun "pop-up tour" of the painting, read yet unpublished findings on its provenance, and soak up the atmosphere of the original masterpiece, amongst other things," the exhibition's website says.