The works in the biennial’s fifth edition channel the intricate legacies inherited from—and the questions provoked by—the surrounding Californian landscape.

The works in the biennial’s fifth edition channel the intricate legacies inherited from—and the questions provoked by—the surrounding Californian landscape.

WORDS

WORDS

DATE:

DATE

SHARE

Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Email

SHARE

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Desert-X-2025-Agnes-Denes-pyramid
Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid, 2025. All photography by Lance Gerber and courtesy of Desert X.

Among the sun-soaked dirt and swaying palm trees of the Coachella Valley, a striking artistic oasis emerges once more. This spring, Desert X—the celebrated biennial outdoor art exhibition—returns for its fifth edition, offering a bold new collection of site-specific installations.

Running from March 8 to May 11, this year’s gathering features 11 artists from across the globe, including the Saudi artist Muhannad Shono, the Korean artist Kimsooja, the American artist Cannupa Hanska Luger, and the Canadian artist Kapwani Kiwanga. Organized by longtime Desert X curator Neville Wakefield and Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas, the director of exhibitions at Socrates Sculpture Park in New York, this edition takes a special interest in speculative futures, ancient pasts, and the role of light in optical perception.

Kimsooja-Desert-X-Alula-2024
Kimsooja, To Breathe from Desert X’s AlUla 2024. 

Desert X has become known for large-scale, interactive works that take advantage of its wide open desert setting, and this year will be no exception. The artist Alison Saar plans to create a reimagined roadside gas station that combines community-crafted elements and salvaged materials. Kiwanga will erect a pavilion-like structure that reflects on the iconic midcentury designs of nearby Palm Springs. 

The intersection of art and science is also a recurring theme: Ronald Rael’s Adobe Oasis uses robotic programming to create structures entirely from mud, while Sarah Meyohas employs innovative technology to project ribbon-like light onto the desert floor. Also on view is Agnes Denes's The Living Pyramid, which features real desert flora cascading along the pyramid, putting the cycle of life on view. 

Desert-X-Coachella-Valley-Landscape
The Coachella Valley landscape.

Desert X, which has been staging this outdoor art show since 2017, was inspired by the legacy of the Land Art movement of the late '60s and early '70s, when artists sought to create work outside of the confines of institutional walls. 

“Curated by the place it temporarily inhabits, Desert X reveals the landscape of the Coachella Valley as a canvas of real and imagined histories, narrating tales of displacement, sovereignty, and adaptation superimposed over visible testaments of time,” curator Garcia-Maestas says.

Desert X is free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to check details for each piece at desertx.org. 

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Not a Doomscroll. A Deep Dive.

Subscribe now for print that informs, inspires, and doesn’t get lost in the feed.

You’ve almost hit your limit.

You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.

You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.

GET ACCESS

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Want more in your life?

For less than the price of a cocktail, you can help independent journalism thrive.

Pop-Up-1_c
Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here
Pop-Up-1_c

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Want more in your life?

For less than the price of a cocktail, you can help independent journalism thrive.

Pop-Up-1_c
Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here
Pop-Up-1_c

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

You’ve almost hit your limit.

You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.

You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.
Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here
You’re approaching your limit of complementary articles. For expanded access, become a digital subscriber for less than $2 a week.

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Want more in your life?

For less than the price of a cocktail, you can help independent journalism thrive.

Pop-Up-1_c

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Pop-Up-1_c

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

We have so much more to tell you.

You’ve reached your limit.

Sign up for a digital subscription, starting at less than $2 a week.

Already a Subscriber? Sign in Here

Want a seat at the table? To continue reading this article, sign up today.

Support independent criticism for $10/month (or just $110/year).

Already a subscriber? Log in.