USC Pacific Asia Museum has turned its Pasadena galleries into a 12-room exhibition in which dragons, guardian spirits and a gold frog that dispenses coins move through objects drawn from its permanent collection. The show, “Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry,” is on view Feb. 14 through Sept. 6, 2026.
The museum says the exhibition draws about 100 objects from a collection it dates across more than 5,000 years and blends them with new-media technology and works by 24 contemporary artists, most commissioned for the show. It was conceived and curated by Dave Young Kim, a Los Angelesโbased Korean American artist and muralist, who frames mythology as a lens on the immigrant experience.
According to the museum’s announcement, the installation is itself meant to function as a work of immersive art. Its narrative is written in verse on the gallery walls, in a voice the museum describes as that of a wise elder speaking to a loved one.
Visitors move through a sequence of built environments. The museum describes a shadowy night crossing filled with demons, a rendition of an immigrant’s first apartment, and a gilded room centered on a gold Jin Chan frog. Dragons, cranes, guardian spirits and shapeshifters recur throughout.
The exhibition also leans on technology. The museum says it includes a wraparound video installation set in a reconstructed airplane cabin and an AI video interaction that lets a visitor take on the role of an immigrant. QR codes link to a custom app, developed with AI, for closer study of individual objects.
Contemporary artists in the show include Dinh Q. Lรช, Lily Honglei, Wendy Park, Momoko Schafer, Kyungmi Shin, Sanjay Vora and Lauren YS.
“Imagine stepping inside an illustrated book of poetry written by a cherished loved one,” Kim said in the museum’s announcement. “Together, I believe we have given timeless stories a renewed life.”
Describing how he selected the contributing artists, Kim told Pasadena Weekly: “These are artists whose work resonates. They talk about the immigrant experience. They talk about mythical creatures. They talk about contemporary Asian American life.”
Kim earned his bachelor’s degree from UC Davis and pursued graduate study in studio art at Mills College. In 2024 he created the mural “A Momentous Moment in Time of Passage and Landing” outside the museum, and he co-founded the Korean American Artist Collective.
Bethany Montagano, director of USC Museums, called the exhibition a shift in the museum’s direction. “I’m thrilled that we are able to present this incredibly bold and ambitious exhibitionโone of the most expansive projects we’ve ever undertaken,” she said in the announcement.
USC Pacific Asia Museum, which describes itself as 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. It sits at 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101, and is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. General adult admission is $15, with tiers as low as $9; PAM members and USC students are admitted free with an RSVP, and the museum offers free days throughout the year, including its Second Sundays. Parking is free in the museum lot directly north of the building. The museum can be reached at 626-787-2680 or info@pam.usc.edu.
The show closes Sept. 6. The museum offers related programs during the run, including guided exhibition tours and a recurring free Second Sunday; current dates are listed on the museum’s calendar.
Pacific Asia Museum โ General Admission | WednesdayโSunday, 11 a.m.โ5 p.m. | 46 N. Los Robles Ave. Permanent gallery (Art of Pacific Asia) plus Mythical Creatures on view through Sept. 6. | ๐ https://pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/
