Popular immersive art experience The Lume will not be taking booking for any events from mid-next year and will end its run at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in 2026, according to a letter sent to staff.
The Lume is known for its inventive use of projections. Its inaugural exhibition centred on artist Vincent van Gogh and allowed visitors to feel as though they were walking through the works themselves. It is bringing back that experience from Boxing Day this year.
How the Lume Van Gogh exhibition by Grande Experiences will look in Melbourne.
It also held exhibitions featuring the works of French impressionist Claude Monet and renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci.
It created the immersive experiences using 143 high-definition projectors to display artworks across 3000 square metres of white carpet and up the 11-metre-high walls of the Convention and Exhibition Centre at South Wharf.
Owner Bruce Peterson told staff about the decision not to renew the digital art gallery’s lease at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) in an email sent on Friday afternoon.
In the email, Peterson said it was a complex but pragmatic decision for the company, adding that it had achieved high customer ratings since it opened in November 2021.
“All good things must come to an end though, and often the difficulty is knowing when to call time,” the email, seen by this masthead, reads.
Peterson said he had wanted The Lume to “go out on top”, but noted there were significant headwinds facing the company.
This included challenging economic conditions in Melbourne, the cost of reinvesting in technology and ongoing “challenges to the suitability of MCEC as a … venue”.
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