70 Artists Transform Abandoned L.A. Hospital Into Healing

When St. Vincent Medical Center closed its doors in 2020 after bankruptcy, no one imagined it would become a place of healing again so soon.

Seventy international artists have transformed the abandoned Los Angeles hospital into the Hospital of Emotions, an immersive art installation where visitors explore 80 rooms designed around 10 different emotions. From joy and love to sadness and anger, each space uses original medical equipment and room layouts to guide people through their own emotional journeys.

Visitors receive orange hospital wristbands reading "Heal your heART" and tour four floors with guides dressed as medical staff. One room features brightly colored monsters erupting from walls, while another shows cascading foliage spilling over old equipment. A third room bathes visitors in red LED light outlining a former hospital bed.

The building itself adds unexpected power to the experience. The city's oldest hospital sat empty for three years before curators Oshri Elmorich and Yaara Sachs reimagined it as an artistic bridge between past and future. The site will reopen in 2028 as the St. Vincent Behavioral Health Campus, focusing on addiction recovery and mental health treatment.

The curators received 2,000 submissions from artists across more than half a dozen countries during last winter's open call. They chose based on creative ideas rather than resumes, paying each artist equally with a $4,000 fee plus up to $10,000 for expenses.

The Ripple Effect

The project welcomed artists from nonprofit partners including The People Concern, Veterans Stand Together, and The Jed Foundation. These organizations are receiving a portion of ticket proceeds, extending the healing mission beyond the installation itself.

Some participating artists came from the film and TV effects industry, bringing professional production skills to the emotional storytelling. Their diverse backgrounds created what Elmorich calls a comfortable space for experiencing "the rainbow of emotions passing through us on a daily basis."

The response has exceeded all expectations. Originally scheduled to close in July, organizers extended the installation through September due to overwhelming demand. Thousands of visitors have walked through the transformed hospital, many reporting profound emotional experiences in spaces once dedicated to physical healing.

What started as creative framing for an empty building became something much deeper. The setting inspired artists to create more ambitious work while amplifying visitors' emotional connections to each room.

Empty buildings don't have to stay empty, and healing spaces can take many forms.