Most people try to avoid spending time in hospitals—especially abandoned ones—but an immersive art exhibition inside of the former Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center in West Adams may change your mind about that. Human Condition, a massive show featuring the work of more than 80 artists, has to be seen to be believed.
The 40,000-square-foot show spans three floors of the old hospital, which was shuttered in 2013 after allegations of criminal mismanagement and insurance fraud.
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“The building contains so much human emotion,” says curator John Wolf. “You subconsciously feel all of that when you’re going through the space, and it heightens the work when it’s hung here.”
Walking through the whimsical yet spooky exhibition, it’s impossible to predict what’s around each and every corner. One room features autoclaves, which look like something used to incinerate people, but actually functioned as sterilizing chambers. Wolf says he picked the work for that room—by artist Kim Simonsson—based on how creepy it was.
If you’re one of those people who’ve always wanted to live out American Horror Story: Asylum, now’s your chance. The show is open from 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday–Sunday, through the end of the month.
> Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center, 2231 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles
Photographs by Natalie Compton.
