Immersive experiences have completely taken over NYC. You see them everywhere: in pop-up spaces, museums, and even major retail stores.
These immersive exhibits are a fantastic way to dive head-first into all things art, capture unique social media photo ops, and are an absolutely unforgettable adventure.
There's the iconic Hall des Lumières, the cutting-edge art spot ARTECHOUSE, and offbeat picks like the immersive art of INTER_ or Monet's Garden. Each experience offers something different and will make great fodder for your social media feed.
But which is truly worth the visit?
Let our Art & Culture Editors unveil which came out as a crowd favorite:
Hall des Lumières
Art meets innovative tech at the inaugural Hall des Lumières exhibition, showcasing Destination Cosmos. This story of space tracks the most significant achievements in humankind – starting with the first observations of stars many centuries ago, to the revolutionary Apollo 11 moon landing. Hall des Lumières’ spectacular journey features 3,000 carefully selected moving images.
After departing from Earth, visitors traverse Martian canyons, dive into the heart of mega planets, and explore beyond the frontiers of our solar system and the known universe.
Destination Cosmos drenches you in breathtaking images from CNES and NASA, and lulls you with an eclectic music soundtrack, featuring The Rolling Stones and David Bowie. Composed of 13 sequences and a prologue, this is an immersive exhibition you will never forget.
This is in addition to their Gustav Klimt: Gold in Motion exhibit. You’ll also be completely inspired by the Klimt-inspired Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and two contemporary creations.
Klimt's exquisite works are precisely overlaid on columns, ceilings, skylights, and the original marble floors. A serene, musical soundtrack fits perfectly with projected images that appear 30 feet high, making this a total sensory experience.
Located in a beautifully restored Beaux-Arts building in Lower Manhattan’s former Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank, the space transforms into an endless, mesmerizing gallery.
MAGENTAVERSE NYC
Located in Chelsea Market’s historic boiler room is the immersive art space MAGENTAVERSE. Created at the intersection of art, science, and cutting-edge technology, this exhibition offers visitors a multi-sensory experience that embodies and celebrates the unique and expressive nature of all things Magenta AKA Pantone’s color of the year.
Of course, our editors have experienced immersive art before, so they assumed MAGENTAVERSE would offer a visual story, but unfortunately, they all report this exhibit is just graphic imagery. They found the concept cool but felt it was too fast, disjointed, and lacked direction (Not great for those with motion sickness).
Monet's Garden: Immersive Experience in NYC
For $50, you can go on a 45 minutes journey through the world of Claude Monet (1840-1926). Monet's Garden uses multi-sensory technology to open up the Father of Impressionism’s art and life, culminating in full-on waterlily saturation.
Our editors thought it was great seeing all of Monet’s breathtaking creations up close and personal. However, these gorgeous images stretched and slightly distorted across the exhibition’s walls, columns, and entryways didn’t feel as impactful as simply standing in front of his paintings
Inter_
SoHo’s hyper-sensory environment INTER_ allows you to play with sound waves, interact with body movement, and explore their dome. The journey takes cues from the elements: earth, wind, fire, water – and ether. And unlike many pop-up events in NYC, this one starts at $29 for adults.
Final thoughts
All four exhibits are sure to excite art enthusiasts, but when it comes down to it, Hall des Lumières is the full package. Unlike Inter_ or Magenteverse, Hall des Lumières, isn’t about temporary trends but centers around timeless art that helps you escape the city’s crazy tempo and plunge head-first into a shimmering world of color.
Of course, fans of Monet will enjoy the recreated garden, but there’s a bit of a letdown once you’re inside the space and realize the online images are much more attractive than the attraction itself. At Hall des Lumières, Destination Cosmos truly allows you to step into another world. It’s a mind-blowing space experience created in collaboration with NASA that transports you to a maze of stars, planets, nebulae, and supernovae.
Plus, you don’t have to break the bank! Adult admission starts at $25, with fees bringing the total to $29.72 There are discounts for students, seniors, veterans, active duty, or first responders.
While Hall des Lumières is NYC’s largest permanent digital art space, Destination Cosmos exhibition is not permanent, so get your tickets today!