After undertaking the Art and Business semester course, Elizaveta Petrova launched EPIC.NOW — a first-of-its-kind, Michelin VR dining experience in New York that fuses immersive technology, contemporary art, and haute cuisine. The concept transforms dining into a collectible, multi-sensory art form, offering a new lens through which to experience culture and storytelling.
How would you describe your Sotheby’s Institute experience?
It was busy, bold, and incredibly freeing. At the time, I was studying Political Science at UCL, but every time I left Taviton Street for Bedford Square—where Sotheby’s Institute of Art is based in London—I felt like I was entering a new dimension: a place where ideas moved fast and curiosity was rewarded. That semester was like a jolt of adrenaline. It unlocked something in me and affirmed that I wanted to build a career rooted in creativity.
What drove your decision to study at Sotheby’s Institute, and what course did you undertake?
I enrolled in the Art and Business semester course in 2017. I was at a crossroads—certain I belonged in the art world but unsure of the path. This course was a catalyst. It gave me access to professionals shaping the industry in real time and a crash course in what it takes to bring an idea to life. I was hooked from day one.
EPIC.NOW blends immersive technology, contemporary art, and gastronomy. Can you tell us how the idea for a Michelin VR dining experience first came about?
The idea had been simmering for two years. My co-founder, Nikolai Popov, and I set out to create something that didn’t yet exist—a multisensory journey where art, hospitality, technology, and haute cuisine converge. There was no blueprint, only a shared passion for detail and emotion. EPIC.NOW was born out of that desire to tell stories in an entirely new way—one that lingers in memory, taste, and imagination.
You describe dining as a “collectible, experiential art form.” How do you see the boundaries between art, experience, and consumption shifting in today’s cultural landscape?
I began my career as a curator, and that lens remains central to everything I do. With EPIC.NOW, we’re weaving together disciplines to create a new kind of narrative. For our first project, we collaborated with Icca restaurant and Chef Kazushige Suzuki in New York to create a Michelin-starred omakase experience set in virtual reality. Guests enter worlds we’ve painted from scratch—from cherry blossoms in bloom to Edo-period Japan, complete with the echoes of a shakuhachi flute—all designed to heighten emotional and sensory connection. In today’s world, people don’t just want to consume art or food—they want to be truly transformed by it. That’s the shift.
How did your time at Sotheby’s Institute of Art shape your approach to building something as cross-disciplinary as EPIC.NOW?
It taught me how to think without borders. For the first time in an academic setting, I felt encouraged to question, to imagine, to create beyond the conventional. The entrepreneurial mindset at Sotheby’s Institute—coupled with exposure to global perspectives—shaped my approach to storytelling and curation. Even now, whether I’m working in hospitality or tech, that foundation as a curator informs everything I build.
EPIC.NOW touches on themes that are central to the future of the art and luxury sectors—from storytelling and curation to digital transformation. What has surprised you most in the journey of bringing this idea to life?
How deeply people crave wonder. We live in a time of sensory overload, and yet when you offer someone a carefully crafted, emotionally resonant experience, they pause. They feel. They remember. The biggest surprise has been witnessing how open even the most traditional diners are to this kind of transformation—to being moved by technology in a poetic, human way.
What advice or tips would you give to Sotheby’s Institute applicants?
Dive in. Sotheby’s Institute is a place that gives as much as you’re willing to invest. Be curious, be bold, and don’t be afraid to pursue the unconventional. You’re entering a global community of thinkers, makers, and innovators—use that. No idea is too ambitious. EPIC.NOW is living proof that imagination, when paired with the right foundation, can become reality.
Images courtesy of EPIC.NOW and Elizaveta Petrova.