As I touched on briefly in Monday’s Weekly Inspiration post, I spent the majority of last Saturday venturing around Sydney City in the hopes of rediscovering the works of a famous artist. My family and I had this particular outing planned a couple of months in advance. We had booked tickets to Van Gogh Alive, a large scale, multi sensory experience that inspires millions of people everyday across the cities of the world. Van Gogh’s works have been displayed and enjoyed by many- they dot the walls of art galleries everywhere and hang in the homes of those who are wealthy and fortunate. This exhibition, however, took on another dimension. From the moment you enter, you become encapsulated within a vibrant symphony of light, colour and sound. You are no longer an outsider peering in but a part of the stimulating display itself. You are invited to engage your many senses and immerse yourself in the life of a very curious individual. An experience that is highly enchanting, deeply compelling, soulful and harrowing almost simultaneously.
However, I digress. Midday brunch was an equally entertaining affair and certainly deserves to be documented. Our Cafe of choice was Cook & Co, a Turkish place in Auburn, one of the surrounding suburbs of Parramatta. My dad lives here and has visited many times, often with my brother in tow during their weekends together. For such a bustling cafe it’s located remotely, accessible through a park station on one of the main roads. It’s tucked away, making the chances of happening upon it unlikely. As they say though, word of mouth helps a business more than you can imagine. My first impression of Cook and Co was overwhelmingly positive. The staff were friendly and engaged, the diners easy going and chatting together in lively, animated voices, the atmosphere relaxed and beautifully earthy- it was blissful. The four of us decided to order a balance of savoury and sweet dishes to share. My brother and I got pancake stacks with maple syrup, berries and ice cream while my parents ordered all day breakfast platters- think avocado toast on thick sourdough, ricotta and honey dip, cured turkey and dolma, fresh veggies and sprouts, a modest selection of cheeses, fried eggs, turkish bread and more. To go with our meal, a mocha, latte, fresh orange juice and passionfruit and mint mocktail for me.
We ate at a leisurely pace and then headed straight to Moore Park Entertainment Quarter afterwards. We were quite timely and arrived just as the exhibition began, give or take a few minutes. None of us had been before but the Van Gogh exhibition was heavily advertised, as expected. The tickets cost a small fortune so this only makes sense. Upon arrival, we were told that a conditional of entry was for masks to be worn, unless you were younger than twelve years old. Oh well. That decided how well three of us would breathe that afternoon- my brother was very pleased to be a mere ten years old. I understand that I may sound ignorant or discourteous however my fellow Sydney siders would know that the virus is at an all time low. We have next to no infections. Considering the sheer volume of people that would occupy the same space however, we were happy to comply and understood the reasoning behind this decision. I’m not too familiar with mask wearing as I only put mine on to visit the doctor. Too many people out there have turned the mask into a fashion statement and I’m personally not here for it. I don’t feel there’s any need for a pretty mask but so be it. Each to their own!
The air inside was considerably stuffier. The staff checked our temperatures and then directed my family and another group of people to the first event. We entered a darkened room that soon lit up with the Dutch Painters Post Impressionist works. Van Gogh’s paintings are among the most expensive in the world and for good reason. They are distinctive and so uniquely him. They epitomise his creative vision and capture for the spellbound audience the inner workings of his mind. Van Gogh, over a decade, created a total of two thousand one hundred works, eight hundred and sixty of which are oil paintings. The last two years of his life, marred by his rapid descent into mental illness, showcased the mad genius within him. He became committed to touching the world in ways significant, even if his generation remained blind to the gifts he presented. Today, Van Gogh is renowned, the viewing of his works a world class experience. The carrying out of those final wishes marked the beginning of Van Gogh receiving the dignity he should have been afforded long ago. The facts stand however- he is memorialised by his great artistry. Vincent worked with a sense of urgency that often caused him a great deal of stress. He became known for his bold palette and dramatic brush strokes. His frequently using paint straight from the tube solidified his personal style and reflected the characteristics of a technique called impasto, an Italian word for paste or mixture. Impasto is used to describe a process where paint is laid so thickly on a canvas that the texture of brush strokes or palette knife are clearly visible. The second half of the exhibition was a lot less involved than the first, however, we did see an appropriation of Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles, complete with a realistic backdrop and tangible furniture. It was the simplicity of his space that drew me in. Van Gogh, a fellow minimalist. It seems we do have something in common!
After the exhibition had concluded, we found ourselves with matching headaches from restricted breathing. We were more than happy to leave the premises and remove our masks! We ventured further into Moore Park, crossing many trick or treaters along the way. The venue had hosted a halloween fair complete with food stalls from every cuisine and enough rides and attractions to fill a theme park. My brother and I had our minds set on food however. Our keen focus on the Van Gogh Paintings had us chewing through all the energy we’d built up earlier in the day. We stopped at my favourite Pizza Parlour Fratelli Fresh and had a Margherita, cokes and a Bannoffee Pie for dessert, all of which made for a decent meal. Yet again, our schedule was just right- we couldn’t have made better time. Not two minutes after leaving the restaurant, a torrential downpour started. That well and truly marked the end of our stay. We hurried to the carpark and I made a mental note to visit Moore Park again another day. Lots of good eateries, diverse street art and murals- they had a good thing going. Besides, it couldn’t be better location wise. The Entertainment Quarter is located fifteen minutes away from Central Station and is practically smack bang in the City. We’d taken separate cars as my mum had a dance event in the evening and needed to head there from the City. My dad, brother and I stopped at a local beach quickly for a power nap with a view. It’s always nice to relax by the ocean and hear the crashing of the waves as you drift off.

That sounds incredible. Immerse/visual reality museum experiences are becoming more and more popular these days. I’ve always wanted to try one. I love the way that Van Gogh painted – for me, his use of impasto helps to add further depth and texture to the painting. Here in the Netherlands, Van Gogh is a big deal. Recently, my family visited the town where he lived. His paintings are such an important part of Dutch culture and history.
What’s life in the Netherlands like? I imagine it’d be very different to the lifestyle of those in western countries. Immersive experiences really have the power to change you. They are beautiful and so engaging to the senses. They take you out of reality for a time. Van Gogh was truly a unique artist- his words convey such depth and emotion. Art changes people in magnificent ways. It commands all of you. Your family visit to his hometown sounds incredible. What did you do/see there?
Indeed. Art is truly magnificent and has actually inspired many of the great creators today. And it sounds like that’s why immersive experiences sound so great – because they’re art but for all of your senses. There is a bicycle tour that follows the path of Van Gogh’s life which we traveled across. On the tour, you visit some of the houses that he worked and lived at, and there’s also lots of information and paintings which you can find along the way which are all over the village. The Netherlands is a western country so it’s quite similar to places like France, England and Germany. The biggest difference here is probably the transportation – the entire country is flat with almost no hills so almost everyone cycles to get around. You are seen as extremely unusual if you are older than 4 and can’t cycle over here. Learning to drive isn’t as big as a deal here. The place where I live is a weird mixture of city and country: it’s common to see horses or cows crossing the road and there are farms everywhere but there are also hotels and large buildings and houses. It’s definitely a mix.
Sounds great 👍
Indeed! Thank you for reading x
Your welcome 🙏
Of course x
What a fab family day out! 😍
Very true! It was lovely. Thanks Chels x
I’m so glad you got to go and experience the exhibit! Breathing for long periods of time with a mask on can be a total pain but I’m glad you didn’t let it get in your way of enjoying an awesome day!! 🎨❤️
Oh, definitely! It was something different for us as a family. A day thoroughly enjoyed by each of us! Thank you so much for reading x
Sounds like you had lots of fun!! Also, can I just say, the food looks amazing??! 😋💛
It was that good! Thank you for reading Wardah x
That food looks absolutely delightful! Sourdough is so much bigger over here in Aus than it is back home and I think it’s one of my favourite discoveries of my time here. Van Gogh is such an interesting figure, I
oops it accidently sent early! I love his artistic style 🙂 xx
Cafes that serve generous slices of sourdough are my favourite. The avo toast at Cook and Co was so thick and had plenty of topping. Such an enjoyable time!
Van Gogh is quite the unique artist and with a very involved and complicated backstory! It’s always very interesting when you think about how a person came to be the way they are.
Thank you for reading Mia! x
Aww, it looked like such a fun day out! 💖 The food looks amazing!! 😍
Also you and your mum look so similar! 😍
Ah yes! I was just told that yesterday, haha. Thank you so much for reading Jasmine!
What are you up to today? x
Such a fun day and that food looks so good. I haven’t been to the theatre or a similar experience all year – I can’t wait for the situation to improve to finally go for one. 🙂
Definitely worth hanging out for! What would your ideal theatre performance/exhibition look like? Anything in particular you’d want to see?
Thank you so much for reading x
sounds like such a fun day! That food looks amazing!! x
It was a wonderful day indeed! Thank you so much Jorja xx
Omg I watched a couple of those videos, they were amazing!! I’m sure it was a great day out!!
Yes, indeed it was! Thank you Zainab 🙂 Can I ask, did all the videos show up for you? x
Yes all of them did!!
Wonderful! I’m glad x