Major exhibition to transform USC Pacific Asia Museum into an immersive journey through myth and the immigrant story
“Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry” Opens Feb. 14, 2026
Conceived by artist Dave Young Kim, the 12 room installation blends collection masterworks with new technology and contemporary works by Dinh Q. Lê, Lily Honglei, Wendy Park, Momoko Schafer, Kyungmi Shin, Sanjay Vora, Lauren YS, and others.
Limited time public preview of the exhibition in progress: Dec. 20, 2025–Jan. 4, 2026
Contact: Thea M. Page, theapagecommunications@gmail.com, 818-251-6461; USC Media Relations, uscnews@usc.edu
USC Pacific Asia Museum (USC PAM) announces Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry, a major art exhibition that invites visitors on a journey through the immigrant experience via the visual language of mythology. The exhibition will be on view Feb. 14 through Sept. 6, 2026, with a limited public preview of the galleries in progress from Dec. 20, 2025, to Jan. 4, 2026, during regular museum hours.
Conceived by Los Angeles–based Korean American artist and muralist Dave Young Kim, the museum wide installation — itself a work of immersive art — marks a bold shift in how USC PAM’s historical collections can be activated to tell emotionally resonant, present-day stories.
Spanning 12 rooms, Mythical Creatures is sweeping yet intimate, its narrative written in verse on gallery walls in a voice evocative of a wise elder to a loved one. The exhibition draws approximately 100 objects from USC PAM’s significant collection — which spans more than 5,000 years and includes art from East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, and the Pacific Islands and their diasporas — blending them with new media technology and works by more than 20 contemporary artists, including several commissions. The result is an interdisciplinary experience in which visitors engage with the past not only through didactic explanation, but through creative activations of pan-Asian mythology that ignite feeling and memory.
Contemporary artists represented include Dinh Q. Lê, Lily Honglei, Wendy Park, Momoko Schafer, Kyungmi Shin, Sanjay Vora, and Lauren YS.
Visitors to Mythical Creatures will move through various creative environments, such as a shadowy night crossing filled with demons, a homey rendition of an immigrant’s first apartment, and a gilded room spotlighting a gold Jin Chan frog that dispenses coins. Dragons, cranes, guardian spirits, and shapeshifters appear throughout as metaphors for internal states and intergenerational legacies.
“Imagine stepping inside an illustrated book of poetry written by a cherished loved one,” said artistic director Kim. “Mythical Creatures is guided by verses on the walls that reflect the wisdom of an imagined, beloved elder—tender, unfolding, and finally given voice. This exhibition invites us into a conversation that was always meant for us, made possible by activating the Pacific Asia Museum’s remarkable collection and collaborating with an exceptional group of artists. Together, I believe we have given timeless stories a renewed life.”
New technologies power immersive experiences throughout the galleries, from a wraparound video installation in a reconstructed airplane cabin to an AI video interaction that lets visitors assume the role of an immigrant.
While Mythical Creatures will serve as an active place of connection where visitors are invited to find themselves within the story, it is also deeply rooted in historical material and scholarly research, featuring QR codes leading to a custom app developed with AI that allows deep dives into specific objects.
“Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry embodies a transformational shift in our direction at USC Pacific Asia Museum,” said Bethany Montagano, director of USC Museums, “centering artists, rethinking interpretation, and building exhibitions from the emotional and intellectual lives of our audiences outward. It also reflects our commitment to dismantling orientalist frameworks and approaching the collection not as a march through history, but as a living archive with the power to meet people where they are. I’m thrilled that we are able to present this incredibly bold and ambitious exhibition—one of the most expansive projects we’ve ever undertaken.”
[NOTE TO EDITORS: High resolution images available on request.]
Credit line: Mythical Creatures is organized by the USC Pacific Asia Museum and curated by Dave Young Kim. Major support is provided by Mei‑Lee Ney. Additional support is provided by the Perenchio Foundation, the McClay Family Trust, Margaret Leong Checca, and Zhang Financial.
Related Events
A range of public programs will complement “Mythical Creatures,” from workshops and panel talks to a film screening, and more. Visit https://pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/ for up-to date programming information.
About Dave Young Kim
Dave Young Kim is a Los Angeles–based Korean American artist and muralist whose work reflects his interest in cultural memory, migration, and the idea of home. Working across public art and studio practice, he often draws on Korean visual traditions and his family’s history while partnering with local communities to shape murals that speak to their lived experiences. Kim earned his BA from UC Davis and pursued graduate study in studio art at Mills College. His projects and exhibitions span institutions such as USC Pacific Asia Museum (USC PAM); the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Berkeley Art Center; and the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. Recent highlights include A Momentous Moment in Time of Passage and Landing, 2024, a monumental mural outside of USC PAM and a large-scale mural in Gusan, Korea. His work has been recognized through awards and grants including the Asian Pacific American Heritage Award, the Abbey Mural Prize, support from the California Arts Council, and his leadership in co-founding the Korean American Artist Collective.
About USC Pacific Asia Museum
USC Pacific Asia Museum (USC PAM) is the only university museum in the United States dedicated to the arts and cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands. First opened in 1925 in the historic Grace Nicholson Building, the museum is defined by artist-led innovation, deep interdisciplinary collaboration, and the belief that art—when fused with technology—can speak across time, language, and identity. USC PAM is located at 46 N Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101. Visitor information: pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu.
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