Immersive exhibition ‘Hell Realm’ sees polarized response

Immersive exhibition ‘Hell Realm’ sees polarized response

2026-06-23

“Hell Realm,” a new exhibition by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, has been met with mixed reviews, with some people saying it’s too scary, while others find it fun. Today, we’re going to lift the veil on this polarizing exhibition. Utilizing a U-shaped projection screen in combination with sound and lights, visitors are plunged into the underworld to witness the brutal punishments meted out there. One father even brought his five-year-old to see it, hoping it would teach him to behave or he’ll end up in hell.

A suspenseful soundtrack plays as images are projected onto a U-shaped screen and the floor. At the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts’ new exhibition “Hell Realm,” the tortures carried out in the 10 courts of hell are displayed in vivid detail. Some visitors were transfixed, while others left early because it was too scary.

- I told him if he’s bad he’ll go to hell, and he ran out.

- I don’t like it.
- Was it scary?
- It was scary.
- You couldn’t look?
- No.
- Are you worried you’ll go to hell if you’re bad?
- Yes.

Two parents even brought their five-year-old to see it, but in the end, only the mom was left, because their son thought it was too scary. Is it really that terrifying? Besides the traditional punishments like scaling a mountain of knives and being boiled in a cauldron of oil, the artists also incorporated some modern elements, like pool rings and smartphones. But they also left the audience wondering what’s so wrong about using their phones.

Visitor
I noticed it was a phone. I guess it’s not OK to use your phone too much.

Visitor
I guess it’s meant to show being held captive by your phone.

Visitor
In the freezing hell, it was snowing and they were lifting stones in the air. It actually looked pretty festive.

Beyond the immersive display, there are also cangues and shackles for people to take photos with. On the opening day, Taoist priests came to lead visitors through absolution rites. There are even a limited number of fortune sticks available every day. The combination of theatrical performance and religious ritual makes visitors feel like they’ve been transported straight to hell. Even the deputy director of the museum admitted that it triggered childhood memories of visiting Nantian Temple’s hell exhibit.

Wang Chia-cheng
Museum deputy director
An experience like this will have a greater impact on young, impressionable minds. After that, they’ll think twice about lying or being bad.

But the museum emphasized that the goal of the exhibition isn’t to scare people, but to encourage people to do good deeds. If you follow your conscience, you’ll stay out of hell!

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#HellRealm #10CourtsofHell #NTMoFA #exhibition #immersive #art #children #digitalart #folklore

秒入地獄? 國美館沉浸式"恐怖展演"觀眾看法兩極

2026-06-23

國立台灣美術館，推出沉浸式展演”地獄懺"，在網路上引發兩極評論，有人覺得超可怕，也有人覺得很有趣。民視鏡頭帶觀眾來揭開展演神秘面紗。U字形的環繞螢幕，搭配聲光效果，讓觀眾彷彿一秒來到地獄，觀賞地獄各種酷刑，也有爸爸帶著5歲小孩來，要透過展演，教小孩不要做壞事，小心下地獄！

懸疑緊張的音效，搭配U字形環繞螢幕，加上地上投影，國美館最新展演地獄懺，正在上演，播放十個閻王殿，各式這樣酷刑。有觀眾目不轉睛，也有人提早離席，原因是太可怕了。

- 我跟他講說，做壞事會下地獄，他一下就出來啦

- 我不敢
- 很可怕嗎
- 很可怕
- 不敢看喔
- 對
- 會不會擔心做壞事會下地獄
- 會

家長帶著五歲兒子來看展演，只剩媽媽一人在場內，因為兒子說太可怕了看不下去。真的有那麼可怕嗎？其實地獄酷刑除了經典的上刀山、下油鍋，藝術家也用了符合時代潮流的意象來呈現，像是套著甜甜圈來下油鍋，還有一幕也能看到，地獄也有智慧型手機，引發觀眾好奇，難道用手機也有錯嗎？犯了什麼罪需要受罰？

[[民眾]]
“我就說那個是手機，是玩太多手機也不行”

[[民眾]]
“我就說應該是就是被手機綁架吧”

[[民眾]]
“寒冰地獄在下雪啊，然後他們拿石頭在那邊舉石頭，看起來很歡樂”

除了播放沉浸式影片，展場也展出夯枷鎖鍊，讓民眾體驗拍照。開幕當天更請來法師，讓民眾帶著夯枷懺悔贖罪。還有每日限量的地獄籤詩。展演結合劇場展演與宗教儀式，讓民眾彷彿一秒來到地獄，就連副館長也不諱言，馬上勾起他小時候參觀南天宮的回憶。

[[國美館副館長汪佳政]]
“對幼小的這個心靈裡面，會比較影響比較大一點，以後在做事情上面，不太敢講謊話，也不敢做壞事”

國美館強調，這次展演，目的並不是要讓民眾覺得可怕，而是希望透過展演，勸世人向善，不做虧心事，不怕下地獄！

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For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Taiwan’s judo king Yang Yung-wei burst into the spotlight at the Tokyo Olympics, etching his name into history by winning Taiwan’s first medal in the sport. Shortly after securing that silver, he captured gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Although his campaign at the Paris Olympics was cut short in the quarterfinals, he’s taken the setback as motivation to work harder. Now he’s moving out of his rut and has high hopes for the Nagoya Asian Games in September.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 23-year-old judoka Yang Yung-wei represented Taiwan for the first time on the greatest sporting stage in the world. He clinched silver in the 60kg event, making history by winning Taiwan’s first Olympic medal in judo.

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Liu Wen-teng
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In 2023, Yang won gold in the 60kg division at the Hangzhou Asian Games. But when he returned to the Olympics in 2024, despite entering as a top seed in Paris, he fell to an opponent from Kazakstan in the quarterfinals. He was then defeated again in the repechage round, missing the chance to stand on the podium in two consecutive Olympics.

Yang Yung-wei
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Especially right after you lose, it’s hard to adjust your mindset right away. You have to let yourself experience the weight of the loss, because at the end of the day, it’s you on the mat, not anyone else. Not your coach—you. So you have to be aware of what you need to change and what you need to do to get there.

Although it’s been an arduous journey, it’s because of his losses that Yang could learn a deeper truth: Only by enduring hardship can you change and improve. Having weathered setbacks, he’s ready to persevere and push himself toward greater heights.

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Driver of a vehicle that got hit
Furious
I think that people really shouldn’t be driving under the influence of drugs. I had stopped at a traffic light, waiting for it to turn green, waiting for pedestrians to cross the road, and then some driver high on drugs comes up and hits me from behind.

Recently, etomidate-laced e-cigarette pods, known as “zombie vapes,” have been the cause of many deadly traffic tragedies, striking fear in the hearts of the public. Setting its sights on drug control, the Executive Yuan and Minister without portfolio Chi Lien-cheng have responded to the issue of drugged driving by forming a task force that will crack down on organized crime and illegal drugs.

Chi Lien-cheng
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We’ve recently been facing the challenge of emerging drugs like etomidate, a drug that has been causing a lot of accidents. The Executive Yuan had the Narcotics Review Committee evaluate the drug, which has now been elevated to a Schedule 1 narcotic.

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The list of suffering animals is not just limited to birds; the police open the bathroom to find a Formosan rock macaque tied up with a dog leash. The monkey looks petrified as it cowers in a corner.

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The Economic Affairs Minister Kung Ming-hsin gave remarks via a prerecorded video, while Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung attended in person, with a delegation of representatives in the drone industry. Loitering munition and counter-UAS are also exhibited. A big announcement was made at the main stage: TEEMA’s technology park will be built in southwestern Poland, connecting with the city of Jaworzno to form a major hub.

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