A new dining experience blending art, technology, and cuisine has opened at Sunset House in West Hollywood, offering guests an immersive journey through modern and contemporary painting. “7 Paintings,” created by Dubai-based artist Nadine Beshir, pairs a multi-course meal with multimedia projections and interactive elements that invite diners to engage with famous works of art in unconventional ways.
The event, running through the end of August, presents a series of dishes inspired by renowned painters, including Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Banksy, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dalí. For example, a course resembling Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s soup can reveals slow-braised short rib and mashed potatoes, while a salad encourages guests to mix and match multiple dressings, evoking Pollock’s abstract expressionist technique. Another course features yellowfin tuna with avocado and taro chips, a nod to Banksy’s bold, ephemeral street art style.
The setting is immersive, with walls displaying vibrant artwork and atmospheric projections synchronized with jazz or guitar riffs, designed to stimulate a playful dining experience. Beshir emphasizes encouraging diners to shed traditional dining conventions by eating with their hands, experimenting with food as a form of artistic expression, and even painting with salad dressings.
The concept of immersive dining—where food service intersects with theatrical and multimedia experiences—has gained traction worldwide, with notable examples like Germany’s Michelin-starred Eatrenalin and Ibiza’s Sublimotion. However, such formats have yet to establish a stable presence in Los Angeles. Past attempts, such as the recently closed Gallery in downtown L.A., illustrate the challenge of balancing the financial and operational demands of merging restaurant and theater models.
Industry professionals highlight the difficulty of achieving harmony between culinary excellence and immersive storytelling. Joanna Garner, a designer and former creative director for experiential art firm Meow Wolf, notes the logistical and financial challenges of these events, and questions whether constant sensory stimulation might detract from diners’ ability to engage meaningfully with their meals and companions.
Despite these hurdles, “7 Paintings” has evolved to increase guest participation. In addition to painting with food, attendees are given canvases to create their own artwork throughout the evening, with a winner announced nightly. Elements such as a locked treasure chest containing a cheese course—accessible by deciphering codes hidden in projections—add interactive puzzles to the experience.
Beshir describes the event as “fun dining, not fine dining,” aiming to demystify abstract and modern art by encouraging physical interaction and playful exploration rather than formal instruction. An animated Mona Lisa projection provides brief background information on the featured artists but the primary focus remains on discovery and social connection.
With ticket prices around $175, “7 Paintings” is positioned alongside other high-end dining experiences in the city but aims to make immersive culinary art accessible and engaging for a broad audience. Collaborating with nightlife producer Kim Kelly, Beshir plans to expand the Sunset House venue’s offerings later this year with a walkaround show inspired by “Sleep No More,” further blending performance, art, and dining.
Beshir envisions “7 Paintings” becoming a recurring attraction that balances creativity, technology, and food, encouraging guests to return regularly and perhaps depart not just sated, but inspired—and with a painting of their own creation.