Hospital of Emotions

Hospital of Emotions is an immersive pop-up exhibition inside the former St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, transforming the shuttered building into a walkthrough experience built around grief, joy, anger, hope and sadness. Presented by House of Art and Dreams with ROYVA Group, visitors check in, receive wristbands and move through roughly 80 former hospital rooms, each reworked into a distinct art installation. More than 2,000 artists applied, and the selected participants were chosen on the strength of their concept proposals and their ability to execute large-scale installations rather than on traditional resumes. Many adapted their work to rooms that still hold original infrastructure such as sinks, cabinets and IV stations. In Room 27 of the sadness department, former neuroscientist and lawyer turned artist Kim Farbota built 'What Passes Through,' using mirrored surfaces and layered spatial elements to explore sadness as both personal and shared. Produced by Oshri Elmorich of ROYVA Group, the project follows the group's practice of taking unused property and giving it new life rather than working in conventional gallery space. Hospital of Emotions runs through July 31 inside the building, which is planned for future redevelopment as a behavioral health campus.