THE latest iteration of Desert X is all about water – which might come as a surprise, considering there’s not much liquid of any kind to be found along the dusty strip of land in south-central California where the biennial exhibition is installed until May 7th.
But, for Neville Wakefield and Diana Campbell, the two commissioners of the show, “a desert is not defined by the absence of water”. For them, “the desert landscape is formed by the memory of water”.
As this quote suggests, this year’s Desert X – the fourth held in the Coachella Valley since the program’s inception in 2017 – zooms out for a holistic, ecological perspective of the land and the place of art. in this one. This edition spans the country and features the work of 10 artists and collectives, including Tschabalala Self, Torkwase Dyson and Tire Nichols, among others.
“How do we connect the specifics of the Coachella Valley to the larger biosphere, where resources and energy…cross borders and impact parts of the world we may never see?” Campbell asked in a recent maintenance.
It is a noble incentive, as are most Conservative ideas. But navigate from one site-specific commission to another, and the meaning of the duo becomes clearer.
Rana Begum, No.1225 Chainlink (2023). Photo: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
A sculpture by Bangladesh-born, London-based artist Rana Begum, for example, is made almost entirely from chain-link fencing— a ubiquitous industrial material used to delineate natural lands as human property. The maze-like quality of Begum’s piece also suggests that it’s not just land area that these fences tend to divide.
Amusingly, Matt Johnson’s contribution to the show – a tenuous arrangement of stacked shipping containers— shares similar themes. On the one hand, the LA artist’s gigantic installation situates the region in a globalist context and suggests a connection between cultures, countries and oceans; on the other hand, he points out that this feeling of connection goes through trade and comes with a devastating environmental toll.
Elsewhere in the valley is a larger than life game board, designed by Gerald Clarke; A assembly of reflective squares mounted on the same electric motors used for the mechanical bulls, made by Mario García Torres; and one ready made car sculpture from which a pair of giant animal arms emerge from its trunk, courtesy of Paloma Contreras Lomas.
Together, the contributions of these creators “make visible, as instruments of self-awareness and devices of wonder, the forces we exert on the world,” according to a catalog text by Wakefield.
See more footage of Desert X 2023 below.
Lauren Good, The smallest sea with the biggest heart (2023). Photo: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
Torkwase Dyson, Liquid one place (2023). Photo: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
Gerald Clarke, Immersion (2023). Photo: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
Mario Garcia Torres, Searching for the sky (while maintaining balance) (2023). Photo: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
Pull Nichols, Originals (2023). Photo: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
Hylozoic/Desires, Namak Nazar (2023). Photo: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
Paloma Contreras Lomas, Amar a Dios in Tierra de Indios, Es Oficio Kindergarten (2023). Photo: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
Tschabalala Self, Pioneer (2023). Photo: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
Follow Artnet News on Facebook:
Want to stay one step ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news, revealing interviews and incisive reviews that move the conversation forward.
