Review: ‘Luminex: Dialogues of Light’ digital art exhibit in DTLA

In the midst of a desperate search for a fun, safe and cultural outing in Los Angeles, I stumbled across an ad for a digital art installation in DTLA. I had already experienced numerous digital art exhibitions, but not outdoors during the pandemic.

The “Luminex: Dialogues of Light” digital art exhibit was curated by Carmen Zella of NOW Art Foundation. On April 10, the South Park district of Los Angeles was transformed into an exclusive walkable digital art exhibit. The show featured the work of internationally renowned L.A. artists Refik Anadol, Nancy Baker Cahill, Sarah Rara, Carole Kim, Luciana Abait and Akiko Yamashita. 

The works of the artists were digitally casted on particular buildings with architectural integrity, all within five blocks of each other. The grand show saw 13,200 attendees, according to the Luminex L.A. website. It shed light on downtown L.A. from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., making up for a free, culturally immersive outing for Angelenos, and anyone willing to join in the fun experience. 

The public was able to download the QR code to access an interactive map to listen to the recorded soundtracks, and follow the art installations through the Luminex website.

For those who were unable to make it to this one-night-only exclusive engagement, the digital experience was livestreamed. The collection will be up for sale, and is expected to be auctioned in the near future as NFT or non fungible token.

After a much dreaded year of COVID pandemic, it was such a promising sight, seeing individuals out and about, respecting the social distancing/mask wearing mandates, and enjoying an epic cultural night in DTLA. 

Digital art exhibitions have been on the rise, and while we find our way back to the museums, it is a greatly accessible way to experience art installations in different realms.

If you missed Luminex, stay tuned for the next digital immersive exhibition coming to Los Angeles. An Immersive Van Gogh exhibit opens in L.A. on May 27 with tickets starting at $40.