Hospital of Emotions: Immersive art exhibit transforms LA hospital

“Hospital of Emotions,†an immersive pop-up exhibition inside the former St. Vincent Medical Center, has recently transformed the building into a walkthrough experience centered on grief, joy, anger, hope, sadness and other human emotions.

The exhibition, presented by House of Art and Dreams in collaboration with ROYVA Group and St. Vincent Behavioral Health Campus, runs through Friday, July 31, inside the building planned for future redevelopment as a behavioral health campus.

Oshri Elmorich, founder of ROYVA Group and producer of the exhibition, said the idea began with finding an unused property that could be transformed into an interactive art space.

“We don't do anything ever at a traditional exhibition space,†Elmorich said. “We like to take an unutilized property and give it a new life.â€

He said the team first came across the former hospital through a connection with one of the campus partners and was immediately struck by what had been left behind inside the building.

“They left everything here, from the beds to IV stations,†he said. “We were like, why don't we do it here?â€

Inside, visitors begin their experience through a check-in process where they receive wristbands before moving through a guided path that leads them into 80 hospital rooms that have been transformed with different art installations.

“We get the staff to dress as nurses and doctors, so people can already feel like, ‘Oh my God,'†he said. “But when they go into the rooms and hear the music with different departments of emotions, it's almost like a release.â€

More than 2,000 artists applied to participate in the exhibition, which was built over the course of roughly 10 months. Elmorich said artists were selected based on their concept proposals and ability to execute large-scale installations rather than traditional exhibition resumes.

“What we were looking for is the confidence and the ability to deliver the concept they proposed,†he said.

Artists were tasked with adapting their work to former hospital rooms, many of which still contained original infrastructure such as sinks and cabinets.

Artist Kim Farbota, whose installation is located in Room 27 on the 5th floor within the sadness department, said she had to first build a new wall before beginning her work inside the former exam room.

“Being in a building that … has ghosts, so to speak … it made it feel important. I wanted to do it justice,†she said. “It felt meaningful in a way that maybe a blank space gallery cube might feel very different.â€

Farbota, who previously worked as a neuroscientist and lawyer before becoming an artist, transformed her room into an immersive installation, titled “What Passes Through.†It explores sadness as something both personal and shared and uses mirrored surfaces and layered spatial elements to create a sense of repetition and reflection throughout the room.

“Grief, a lot of the time, you feel so isolated, you feel so alone, but it's this extremely universal human experience that tends to hit people in these deep ways … for me, the thing I was clinging to there was … to feel sadness is to know what we hold dear.â€

Farbota worked for 10 days to complete the installation and hopes visitors leave the exhibition with a personal emotional connection to the work.

“You take something that is your own hurt or your own excitement or whatever, find some sort of visual way or environmental way to transmit that to someone else, and I think, yeah, that's the ultimate success in something like this,†she said.

Elmorich said that the 70 artists involved were provided with funding and materials to support their installations, emphasizing the importance of compensating creative labor.

“We believe artists need to be paid for their work, especially with the creator economy currently in Los Angeles,†he said. “It was important for us to cover their fees and expenses … so we could create something extraordinary.â€

He added that proceeds from tickets, merchandise and other on-site revenue will support the nonprofit behind the St. Vincent Behavioral Health Campus, which will serve underserved communities, veterans and unhoused residents once fully operational.

The art exhibition is scheduled to close on Friday, July 31, but Elmorich said it may be extended if public interest remains. Meanwhile, published reports state that the new health campus will open in 2028.

For more information and tickets for “Hospital of Emotions,†visit hospitalofemotions.com.