Love Art? How To Spend An Artsy Day In London

From one art lover to another, you’ll certainly find yourself spoilt for choice when it comes to cool and quirky art in London; from all the galleries to cutting-edge street art.

But where do you start?

If you want to spend an artsy day in London, immersing yourself in all the art the city has to offer, keep reading..

An Art Lover’s Guide To An Artsy Day In London

Here’s a breakdown of how I spent my artsy day in London, together with my thoughts on the two experiences I visited.

Feel free to copy my day. We had such a great time!

_{Our tickets to both experiences were kindly gifted by Fever, however all views are entirely my own.}

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

Have you ever dreamt of stepping into an actual painting? The Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience allows you to do just that.

It is absolutely worth a visit if you haven’t been already and the perfect way to kick off an artsy day in London.

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who took his own life at just 37 years old. During his short lifetime, Van Gogh produced an impressive 2100 paintings, only successfully selling one though. His work gained popularity after his death, and in recent times, this new wave of interest in his work has exploded thanks to a furry of immersive digital exhibitions across the globe.

Some of his most famous works include Sunflowers and The Starry Night.

This exhibition has been going strong for a number of years now and continues to wow the masses by expanding globally, with no sign of slowing down.. and I can see why.

The immersive experience is an incredibly moving celebration of Van Gogh’s life and art and does an amazing job of presenting it in the new way to see art that is taking the world by storm.

I found it fascinating learning about Van Gogh’s life; his struggles with his mental health that eventually led to him famously attempting to sever his own ear and to of course, see his work.

This immersive experience has scratched an itch we didn’t know existed; the demand for a new way to experience art in modern times.. A 360 degree immersive visual and audio experience that transforms the room into a dynamic and engaging exhibition unlike any other.

The vibrant colours, broad brush strokes and instantly recognisable style of Van Gogh’s work makes it perfectly suited to this kind of immersive experience.

The venue is split into different sections, with something for every one. Some of the exhibits are reproduced paintings, some audio-visual installations of various length and complexity, some short educational animations, some in sculpture-form and some reproduced on a grander scale into rooms you can either walk or peer into.

This must be the most famous bedroom in art history; Van Gogh’s bedroom in Arles, France.

You also have the opportunity to create your own art in a studio, where you have a choice of Van Gogh printouts to colour-in and project on to a gallery way – a really fun activity for young children.

Though let me tell you, colouring in with crayons is a lot harder than it looks!

There is an additional short virtual reality experience that is not included as part of your ticket price (though I think it really should be). Here, you get to experience a day strolling through the towns and countryside that inspired Van Gogh, and can see his paintings come to life in the environment in which he painted them.

You end at the main show; the immersive part of the experience. This is constantly playing on a loop, so you will walk in at what feels like mid-way, though there isn’t actually a start and end point.

It is impressive the way the show makes use of the architecture of building itself, as opposed to simply projecting the images onto the walls. It’s just a shame the ceiling isn’t included as part of the experience though.

Overall, this experience was really fun. I enjoyed that the exhibition was such a varied experience; lots of different ways to learn about Van Gogh, and his life, and there was a lot of information to read through too.

I may be cynical, but I don’t think this exhibition would be as big a hit if it was not for the clever social media marketing aspect. While overpriced at £20 per adult, it is a wonderful way of spending an hour and a half. Tickets start from £16, which I think is marginally palatable – and if you can get them at that price, I’d would recommend this experience for an artsy day in London.

Walking around the exhibition certainly felt like it was created wholly for an Instagrammable experience; to be shared and conspicuously consumed. If that’s your vibe, then this is perfect. With little ease you can set up photos with interesting backgrounds and by sharing them you look mildly cultured – aesthetics and social signalling ticked in just one post. 

Lunch At Tofu Vegan

Having arrived at the Van Gogh experience at lunchtime, we were starving by the time we left at 3pm and had conveniently planned to have lunch at Tofu Vegan; a vegan Chinese restaurant just a 2 minute walk away.

I have seen so many people raving about this restaurant on social media, and it’s been on my list to try for a while now and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Our waiter suggested that as it was our first visit, we order the wontons to start. I’ve always been indifferent to wontons, almost forgetting that they exist, but these were insanely delicious – definitely a good call.

Apparently, this place is known for their sauces and I can see why.

We ordered the chongquing chilli chick’n (not our waiter’s recommendation) and the tofu in the house special sauce. The sauce in the tofu dish again, was divine and we both loved it.

The other however, was about 80% chillies and my mouth was on fire! The chick’n was excellent though, it was just a very dry, almost inedible dish overall thanks to the spice so I’d skip that next time!

Highly recommend this place overall though.

Shoreditch Street Art

While in Shoreditch, you’ll inevitably stumble upon fabulous street art lining the streets. Cool, creative and with a twist of grit, Shoreditch is one of London’s hippest neighbourhoods.

While in the area, it would be a shame not to explore. It’s an urban exhibition of street art, featuring pieces from some of the biggest names as well as some up and coming talent – yes, Banksy has certainly left his mark here.

In case you are interested, Rivington Street is the location of one of Banksy’s earliest works, stencilled along the wall beneath the railway bridge near Shoreditch High Street. This has become a key site for aspiring street artists such as Bambi (dubbed the female Banksy), and new art works appear regularly here.

My advice is to grab an oat flat white (when in Shoreditch and all) and hit the streets to take in the art.

I made a pit stop at WatchHouse to grab a coffee.. I adored the rustic interior and the coffee was exceptional!

Believe me, I’m fussy when it comes to coffee and I can tell they take their brew seriously.

Exquisite coffee.

While I’ve been to Shoreditch a number of times, I wasn’t armed with a graffiti hit list this time, though there is something to see on almost every street so I did just that.

Painting In The Dark Workshop

Saving the best experience for last.. our final stop of the day was a bit of a hop away from Shoreditch; a Paint in the Dark workshop across London, in South Kensington.

Here you immerse yourself in a fluorescent neon-lit setting to create your own work of art using UV paint, while under the influence (if you so wish). This experience is unlike any other and gives you carte blanche to express your creativity, while also providing you with two drinks each.

Brush in one hand, glass of wine in the other is exactly what I did, while unleashing my inner artist.. or trying to at least..

Throughout the experience, all the necessary materials are provided, together with a brilliant artist to help guide you and offer advice. The atmosphere is fun and lively, with great music playing in the background.

The vibe is wonderful.. you just need to bring your creativity and enjoy this therapeutic hour and a half before leaving with your masterpiece.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect with this, it has been many many years since I’ve picked up a paintbrush.. back in my A-level art days possibly?!

Let me tell you though.. One thing is for sure, I am no artist any more, but it was certainly an awesome way to end a wonderful artsy day in London.

At £39 per adult, I think this is well worth the money and the perfect unique night out for those looking for something a little different. It’s a fun, therapeutic activity to do with friends, your partner or even alone.. similar to the dining in the dark experience at Dans Le Noir.

This one however, I would totally do this again!

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