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Installation Art

Divine Immersion: The Experiential Art of Nick Dong (Capsule Review)

Laura Hess

• 1 min read
Divine Immersion: The Experiential Art of Nick Dong (Capsule Review)
A man sits on a stool in the center of a completely mirrored chamber: the ceiling, floor, and walls are all mirrored and the chamber is rounded. It’s hard to know its exact shape and where its edges are. The man can be identified in some reflections, but there are also indistinguishable shapes that look like smeared clouds.
Photo: USC Pacific Asia Museum

[Original publication: No Proscenium, 8/10/21]

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Divine Immersion: The Experiential Art of Nick Dong is a problematic show to cover for two reasons: its effects are indescribable and it’s best if nothing is revealed beforehand.

The brutal reality is that we are still entrenched in a global pandemic and its pervasive, heartbreaking consequences. We’ve endured civil unrest and economic tragedy. We’ve been unable to process or grieve because our present contorts on a daily, even hourly basis, and the future can seem impossible. Now, many months later, we straddle disconnected worlds, caught between collective responsibility and entitled irrationality; it’s a surreal dichotomy splintering the membranes of our bodies and minds.

And so, Taiwanese-American artist Nick Dong “extends an invitation…to bring all of your chaos to this exhibition.” Described as “quest[s] of self-evolution,” the artworks incorporate “scientific and handcrafted components, supernatural movements, light, [and] sound” to create an immersive and interactive experience. Fueled by the searing coals of our terror, rage, and despair, the spaces and exchanges offered by Dong generate a condensation of wonder and joy, beading with hope and seeping into our pores.

Words feel inadequate in these moments. Instead, I turn to text by the USC Pacific Asia Museum: “Dong’s work nourishes the transformative potential of this moment — toward human wholeness, imperfections encouraged and included.” The exhibition isn’t just extraordinary art, it’s a transcendent gesture of compassion.