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Desert X, the biennial art show happening in the Coachella Valley, California displayed works of art from February 9 – April 21, 2019. Twenty artists exhibited their works throughout the Coachella Valley, from the very north of Palm Springs, all the way down to the Salton Sea. In this post, I review four of the artists on display.

Why the desert as a venue? As hostile and forbidding as the desert can be, we humans have figured out how not only to survive but thrive. The Coachella Valley is both utopian and dystopian, both attractive and inhospitable. Based on site-specific works of art, Desert X demonstrates how art behaves outside of institutional rules and the desert itself becomes the curator.

The first stop was artist Cecilia Bengolas’ “Mosquito Net”, a free-standing sculptural work located in the water near the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club in Mecca, CA. From the Desert X website, “this piece is a consideration of how humans and animals observe each other, including both real and imaginary… (a) sculptural work that synthesizes the animistic aspects of dance with her interest in the Salton Sea”. A collage of photos and images dancing playfully in the sea, this piece is at the same time joyful and contemplative.

Next stop was Los Angeles based artist Nancy Baker Cahill’s “Margin of Error”, a fascinating interactive piece using Augmented Reality. The first step to viewing the work was to download the app, the 4^th Wall app (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/4th-wall/id1325881248?mt=8 ).

Pointing my phone at the designated site within the app, the piece is meant to signify the “toxic outcome of human progress leading to an environmental disaster”. The serene and peaceful Salton Sea shoreline is violently disrupted by the digital work. Once the app is deployed, the damage is permanent, and so we are left to reflect on our participation in environmental destruction.

Using the site of an abandoned gas station in the middle of seemingly nowhere, artist Eric N. Mack creates a façade using silks and tulles stretched with rope tensioned from the “Gas” sign back to the structure.

There is an eerie beauty to the piece as colorful fabrics drift softly in the wind, draping gently over the desolate, graffiti covered space. Very tragically, this work was destroyed and vandalized mid-way through the show.

Finally, up the hill, overlooking the Salton Sea and the surrounding mountains, Bogota born/ Paris based artist Iván Argote has created a fascinating and immersive piece. “A Point of View” is comprised of six staircases, made of concrete and wood, arranged in a circular fashion. On each step is imprinted words in both English and Spanish.

Visitors can scale each staircase and take in the views. The imprinted words are reminiscent of the fossilized seashells that remain from when the Lake Cahuilla engulfed the region from pre-historic times until the 1600’s. The stair cases are laid out in the form of a giant sun-dial, a reminder of the passage of time and history.

All four of these pieces are located near the Salton Sea, the body of water that has been California’s largest lake for the last century. Created by sheer accident, it is now a sanctuary for a diverse wildlife population and a popular tourist attraction in Southern California.

What better time to visit the desert? Great architecture, great artwork and the weather in the springime is perfect. Click here for a special rate on renting a home in the Palm Springs area: VRBO California Rentals

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