The Desert X Biennial Opens in the Coachella Valley With Art Scattered Across 55 Miles

ARTNET NEWS
By Sarah Coscone

Cara Romero, Jackrabbit, Cottontail & the Spirit of the Desert (2019). Photo by Lance Gerber.

The second edition Desert X has touched down in the Coachella Valley of California, with site-specific work by 18 artists selected by artistic director Neville Wakefield and co-curators Amanda Hunt and Matthew Schum (Each artist had a $25,000 budget for his or her piece). The biennial gives new meaning to the word sprawling, with works scattered about an area of around 55 miles, in eight of the nine cities of the Coachella Valley. Much of the work alludes to aspects of life in the desert that aren’t immediately apparent, such as the rich heritage of the region’s indigenous communities, the growing effects of global warming, or the power of the wind. Desert X is on view in the Coachella Valley, California, February 9–April 21, 2019. [More]

Billboards with photographs by Chemehuevi artist Cara Romero are up on North Gene Autry Trail between East Vista Chino and Interstate 10. (Photo: Kristin Scharkey/The Desert Sun)

Mary Kelly, Peace is the Only Shelter (2019). Photo courtesy of Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects.

Sterling Ruby, SPECTER (2019). © Sterling Ruby