Well being Officers Warn of “Second Wave” of Immersive Van Gogh Exhibitions in NYC
The resurgence of immersive Vincent van Gogh exhibitions, predicted weeks in the past by well being officers, is perhaps upon New Yorkers ahead of they suppose. The variety of new exhibitions has doubled each day over the previous 5 days, reaching a price not seen within the metropolis because the spring of 2021.
“We’re deeply involved,” mentioned Dr. Ashwin Vasan, New York Metropolis’s new Commissioner of the Division of Well being and Psychological Hygiene, who took over from Dave Chokshi final month. “Information has proven that immersive Van Gogh installations are up in all 5 boroughs, with the very best concentrations in Manhattan’s Chelsea and Decrease East Aspect neighborhoods in addition to Brooklyn’s waterfront areas by Williamsburg and Greenpoint.”
“We suggest New Yorkers keep away from these areas in any respect prices,” Vasan continued. “However if you happen to should go there, please steer clear of transformed warehouses, as we consider the unique contaminant emerged from one in every of these spots.”
“In fact, nowhere is actually secure,” added the commissioner as he adjusted the straps on his Oculus headset.
Nonetheless, regardless of this “seemingly apparent risk,” as many within the media and scientific group have decried it, Mayor Eric Adams and his administration have proven hesitancy in appearing to position restrictions to cease the unfold of immersive exhibitions.
A supply near the mayor’s workplace cited Adams’s aggressive plans to carry tourism again to town as a significant component on this waffling, which has led to many late nights at Metropolis Corridor with rumors of non-vegan pizzas being in attendance.
Privately, the supply has confided, the mayor is grumbling about what an absence of Van Gogh will do to New York Metropolis’s “swagger.”
As at all times, well being specialists advise monitoring for signs, which embrace Instagram Reels, the flattening of an artist’s legacy, and an intense need to observe Netflix’s Emily in Paris.
Eyes are additionally out for a more recent variant, dubbed the “Banksy Exhibit,” which was traced again to the previous City Outfitters location on 14th Road.