Desert X is a bi-annual immersive art experience which takes place throughout the Coachella Valley, California. This year’s event took place between March 12^th through May 16^th 2021. The number of visitors to Desert X 2021 this year surpassed 650,000! This just shows how much people were desperate to get out of their homes and experience immersive art in the desert. The artists themselves hailed from around the world: Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East.

I was able to visit four of the many exhibits.

“What Lies Behind the Walls” by Zhrah Alghamdi (born 1977, Al Bahah, Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah)

We trekked out to Cathedral City to a sort of abandoned parking lot and marched over to this wall, like something out of 2001 space odyssey. Different layers of material are the metaphor for the different layers of time trapped in geological strata. It was an impressive, large looming piece. The earthy materiality of the different layers – rubber, cloth, etc perfectly expressed the desert experience.

“The Wishing Well” by Serge Attukwei Clottey (born 1985, Accra, Ghana, based in Accra)

Next on the tour, in a mild-mannered park near Palm Springs, two bright yellow cubes emerge from the ground. A yellow pathway leads you up to and around the yellow boxes.  Upon closer inspection, the cubes are covered with small squares of yellow plastic Kufuor jugs used to transport water in Ghana.  The yellow squares are intricately woven together, all the small pieces create one impressive whole. These Kufuor jugs were introduced to the people of Ghana by Europeans and for the artist, they are a reminder of colonialism. In addition, as the installation is sited in the Coachella Valley, whose existence depends on life-giving water, The Wishing Well is a reminder of the importance of this vital resource through a shared experience.

“Never Forget” by Nicholas Galanin (born 1979, Sitka, Alaska, US, based in Sitka)

This was a truly impressive site. Located on the outskirts of Palm Springs, near the visitors center, you are taken aback by the scale, size and blatant message. Giant 45 foot white letters spell out “Indian Land”, mocking the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. The work is more than just an installation. In fact, the artist is heavily involved in a movement promoting current landowners to transfer land titles and management back to local Indigenous communities. The artist, born in Alaska, 1979, has had an impressive art career, including participating in the Whitney Biennial in 2019 and the 2020 Biennial of Sydney.

“Tamanrasset” by Vivan Suter (born 1949, Buenos Aires, Argentina, based in Panajachel, Guatemala)

This final piece was an installation of large-scale paintings inspired by the desert. It was a bit difficult to capture a quality photo. In fact, the beautiful paintings were hung inside one of Palm Springs’ iconic mid century modern buildings. The colors and forms created a kind of abstracted representation of the desert with both emotional and psychological concerns.

Conclusion

Desert X is truly an impressive production with so many installations throughout the Coachella Valley. The messages were much more political than past years but thought provoking nonetheless. Of course, it was wonderful to see a diverse range of people visiting the various sites – young, old, different backgrounds – all making this bi-annual pilgrimage to the desert. Visitors absorbed the art and took a moment to think about its meaning all in the setting of the beautiful and rough desert. You can find out more information about Desert X by visiting here.

If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy the following:

Desert X 2019: Here is what you missed!

4 More Amazing Desert X 2019 Artists

Palm Springs Art Museum: Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism

Modernism Week Fall Preview 2020

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