Offering famous Modernism Architecture Tours and featuring the esteemed Palm Springs Art Museum, the Palm Springs area is a hub for west-coast art. Now, it’s time to mark your calendars because between March 8 and May 11, you can join the biennial art celebration of Desert X in Coachella Valley.
Each year, Desert X brings site-specific art installations to Coachella Valley, and for their fifth year The Desert Biennial’s exhibition reflects on the desert’s “deep time evolutions reframing ideas and wilderness.” it will also explore themes of “Indigenous futurism, design activism, colonial power asymmetries, the impress of humanity on the land and role of emerging technologies in our contemporary society.”
This year’s exhibit is curated by artistic director Neville Wakefield and co-curator Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas, and will host works from eleven artists from around the world; including Sanford Biggers, Glorieta, Kapwani Kiwanga, Alison Saar, and more.
Here’s some of what you can expect to see at Desert X this spring.
- Unsui (Mirror) by Sanford Biggers features two towering sequin sculptures set against the expansive desert sky. Clouds, a recurring motif in Biggers’s work, symbolize freedom, boundlessness, and interconnection. Drawing on the artist’s study of Buddhism, these clouds — or unsui (“clouds and water” in Japanese) — embody unencumbered movement. Shimmering in the desert light, they evoke a feeling of timelessness and transcendence. Located in the arid desert, where clear skies often prevail, serves as a powerful promise of water and a message of hope.
- Kapwani Kiwanga’s Plotting Rest, a pavilion-like structure reflects on the iconic midcentury design found in Palm Springs, signaling protection while offering none. Its roof, a lattice made of interlocking triangles, hovers overhead, allowing the elements to pass through and casting ever-changing shadows on the ground. Inspired by the quilting motif known as “flying geese,” this pattern resonates with the contested narratives of the Underground Railroad, serving as an encrypted guidance system for those fleeing slavery toward the perceived freedom of the North. Kiwanga’s sculpture fosters contemplation and hope while reminding us that history is marked by successive migrations.
- In Soul Service Station, Alison Saar continues her alchemical exploration of salvage, both as a material and metaphorical act. Soul Service Station reimagines a sculptural intervention Saar created in 1986 in Roswell, New Mexico. Drawing inspiration from gas stations that have populated the American West, including the Coachella Valley, Saar’s station offers more than practical services; it provides fuel for the soul and combines community-crafted elements with furnishings made from salvaged materials.
Later this year, the reopening of the historic Plaza Theatre following a multi-million dollar restoration project will welcome a new season of diverse arts programming.
Palm Springs is the place to be this coming spring and summer season. Book your tickets now and read more about what to do in Palm Springs at PassportMagazine.com
