Frameless unleashes new artworks into its galleries this summer

Mind-blowing creativity meets innovative animation, as new masterpieces from Van Gogh and Hokusai join the Marble Arch galleries this summer.

This summer, step into the world of some of the greatest artists of all time as Frameless, the UK’s largest immersive art experience, relaunches one of its four main galleries, ‘The World Around Us’.

The biggest change to the multi-award-winning experience – since its launch in 2022 – will see new masterpieces reimagined; bringing together art, music, animation and cutting-edge technology to immerse visitors in an imaginative playground of vibrant and colourful storytelling, allowing them to feel more from the art than ever before.

Visitors can look forward to embarking on an emotionally charged journey, experiencing five new immersive artworks from some of the world’s most revered artists, including Hokusai and Van Gogh, alongside seven existing masterpieces which have been reimagined in collaboration with BAFTA award-winning VFX studio and Frameless’ Official Production Partner Cinesite, whose previous work includes the Harry Potter and James Bond films.

Embedded in popular culture and known the world over, the small but iconic wood block print, The Great Wave by Japanese artist Hokusai, has been combined with two of his other celebrated works to create a towering three-dimensional scene of Mount Fiji and its surrounding area. Music plays a key role in bringing Hokusai’s art to life, as a traditional composition representing peaceful daily life is suddenly interrupted by Japanese war drums, coming to a crescendo as the wave builds.

Inspired by Japanese prints, Van Gogh’s Almond Blossom offers a serene moment of reflection as petals gently drift around the gallery and an emotive soundscape soothes visitors. Painted by Van Gogh at one of the happiest times in his life, the arrival of his beloved nephew, almond blossoms symbolise new life, blooming in early spring.

Visitors will step back in time as they stand on the steps of the Thames in an interpretation of Grimshaw’s enigmatic Reflections on the Thames, Westminster fused with other pieces painted during the same period. The foggy atmosphere is brought to life with an immersive soundscape which evokes the feel of the setting, from the thud of a cart’s wheel to the chimes of Big Ben. Playful ‘Easter eggs’ have been added for the keen-eyed observer, including the silhouette of Jack the Ripper lurking in a doorway and a Ferris wheel placed where the London Eye stands today. Every element has been meticulously designed to transport visitors to historic London.

A new Canaletto, featuring some of his best-known works from his prized Canal Series, is a show stopper. Painted over ten years, in the era of the Grand Tour, the series provides an almost complete picture of the Grand Canal with constant observations of his home city translated onto canvas as vivid snapshots of daily lives. Frameless’ Creative team have brought to life this technical masterpiece by taking real life images of the area and stitching together sections from his celebrated artworks to create the highly atmospheric Venetian scene. Complete with spatial audio this unique reimagining of masterpieces allows visitors to soak up different sounds as they move around the vast gallery.

Straight from the Villa of the Mysteries, an ancient Roman villa on the outskirts of Pompeii; history meets art with this piece of Roman history, a 1st Century fresco from an unknown artist, has been brought to life into London for the first time. In the oldest artwork to be discovered in Frameless, one of the vignettes, a tray holding female, wanders around the room spotlighting intricate details of this stunning artwork as melodic tunes envelop the space. The sudden and dramatic crumbling of the building, that was flattened during the eruption of Pompeii, transports the viewer straight into a remastered version of JR Derby’s Vesuvius in Eruption, with visual effects specialists bringing to life the explosion on top of the volcano, the smoking fissures and the atmospheric movement of molten lava to land viewers inside the artist’s imagination.

Remastered artworks in collaboration with Cinesite include Friedrich’s Wanderer above the Sea of Fog; Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire; Ruysch’s Tree Trunk surrounded by Flowers, Butterflies and Animals; Van Gogh’s Starry Night; Rembrandt’s Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee; and Monet’s Boat on the Seine near Jeufosse.

Alongside the new artworks there is a extensive programme of activity this summer including Lates for over 18s, Multi-Sensory Tots classes for parents and toddlers from September, Chilled Sessions created for those that might feel more at ease in less busy public spaces and emerging artists’ residencies. Frameless also houses an art-inspired Café Bar, perfect for that post-visit refreshment and a Gift Shop brimming with treasures to take home.

Located in a 30,000 square-feet venue in the heart of Marble Arch, Frameless is the UK’s first permanent large-scale digital immersive art experience. An award-winning and highly Instagram-able experience, Frameless uses the very latest cutting-edge and interactive projection technology to break the boundaries of art. Featuring four distinct curated galleries and showcasing some of the world’s greatest works of art presented in ways never seen before, visitors will discover unique interpretations of 42 masterpieces from artists including Canaletto, Dalí, Kandinsky, Klimt, Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Frameless residencies showcasing the best up-and-coming talent from the vibrant digital art community, this summer visitors can also enjoy a complimentary show featuring highlights from the past year’s artists, including RCA graduates and acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Maliha Abidi. This special exhibition, located in Frameless’ pop up fifth gallery, ‘Blank Canvas’, is available to anyone who purchases a ticket during standard opening hours until October 2024, when the Blank Canvas gallery is open.

For more information, visit www.frameless.com.