In the vast, ever-evolving landscape of the Coachella Valley, where time unfolds in geological epochs, Desert X 2025 returns for its fifth edition, offering a powerful artistic exploration of time, nature, and human impact. Far from an empty expanse, the desert becomes a living canvas—one that holds both real and imagined histories, narrating stories of displacement, sovereignty, and adaptation. This edition of Desert X delves into nonlinear narratives of time, inviting visitors to engage with ancestral wisdom and contemporary visions that shape our collective future.

Curated by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and Co-curator Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas, Desert X 2025 brings together internationally acclaimed artists to reframe ideas of wilderness, indigenous futurism, and design activism while addressing themes such as colonial power asymmetries, humanity’s imprint on the land, and the role of emerging technologies in modern society.

Artists and Their Visionary Works

Desert X 2025 showcases the work of eleven artists from Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Through architectural forms, ephemeral materials, and conceptual installations, these artists present alternative perspectives on a world increasingly shaped by both nature and humanity.

Participating Artists

• Sanford Biggers (Los Angeles / New York City)
• Jose Dávila (Guadalajara / Guadalajara)
• Agnes Denes (Budapest / New York City)
• Cannupa Hanska Luger (Standing Rock Reservation, ND / Glorieta, NM)
• Raphael Hefti (Neuchâtel / Zurich)
• Kimsooja (Daegu / Seoul and Paris)
• Kapwani Kiwanga (Hamilton / Paris)
• Sarah Meyohas (New York City / New York City)
• Ronald Rael (Conejos County, CO / Berkeley)
• Alison Saar (Los Angeles / Los Angeles)
• Muhannad Shono (Riyadh / Riyadh)

Each artist’s work addresses the concept of time—whether through materials, architectural structures, or intangible elements like wind and light—highlighting the urgency of finding sustainable approaches in an increasingly fragile world.

Featured Installations: A Glimpse into Desert X 2025

🔹 Unsui (Mirror) – Sanford Biggers
Towering sequin sculptures resembling clouds reflect the desert light, embodying the Buddhist concept of unsui—“clouds and water”—as symbols of boundlessness and movement. Their shimmering presence offers a poetic meditation on freedom and the ever-changing forces of nature.

🔹 The Living Pyramid – Agnes Denes
A monumental structure planted with native desert vegetation, this piece transforms over time, echoing the cycles of growth, transformation, and decay—reminding us of the delicate balance between nature and civilization.

🔹 The Act of Being Together – Jose Dávila
Massive monolithic marble blocks, transported from a quarry across the U.S.-Mexico border, symbolize both physical and metaphorical boundaries, connecting disparate histories while questioning the nature of permanence and displacement.

🔹 G.H.O.S.T. Ride – Cannupa Hanska Luger
A nomadic caravan exploring indigenous speculative futures, this installation reimagines sustainable living practices using land-based technologies and multimedia storytelling to challenge colonial paradigms.

🔹 Five Things You Can’t Wear on TV – Raphael Hefti
A black woven polymer fiber stretched across the desert vibrates in the wind, creating a visual and sonic phenomenon that engages viewers in an immersive experience of distance, space, and movement.

🔹 To Breathe – Coachella Valley – Kimsooja
Using optical film to transform architectural surfaces into dynamic light displays, this installation explores the interaction of light, air, and space, drawing connections between Korean cultural traditions and the landscape of the Coachella Valley.

🔹 Plotting Rest – Kapwani Kiwanga
A pavilion-like structure with a lattice roof inspired by the “flying geese” quilting motif, this installation reflects on migration, shelter, and the ever-changing narratives of history.

🔹 Truth Arrives in Slanted Beams – Sarah Meyohas
By manipulating sunlight and reflective surfaces, this immersive installation creates shifting patterns of light, recalling ancient sundials and exploring time as a fluid, interactive concept.

🔹 Adobe Oasis – Ronald Rael
A futuristic yet ancient architectural experiment, this 3D-printed earthen structure reintroduces traditional adobe techniques as a climate-responsive solution to modern housing challenges.

🔹 Soul Service Station – Alison Saar
Reimagining the concept of the American gas station, this sculptural space offers a spiritual and communal gathering place, crafted from salvaged materials and storytelling elements.

🔹 What Remains – Muhannad Shono
Long strips of fabric infused with desert sand move freely in the wind, embodying the fluidity of identity, memory, and land in a constant state of transformation.

A Journey Through the Coachella Valley

From March 8 to May 11, 2025, Desert X invites visitors to embark on a journey across the Coachella Valley, where site-specific installations interact with the desert’s vast and evolving landscape. As the desert shifts with light, wind, and time, so do the artworks—mirroring the transient and resilient nature of both the land and human experience.

Curator Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas describes the exhibition as “a response to the conditions of the desert itself,” a place where real and imagined histories are layered over the visible imprints of time. Artistic Director Neville Wakefield adds, “Artists are increasingly exploring the idea of unadulterated nature, but they also recognize that this is an idea—a contested and complex one in today’s world.”

Supporting the Vision

Desert X is funded by an international network of donors, foundations, and sponsors, including:

• 1800® Tequila – A historic Mexican brand known for championing contemporary art.
• The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation
• National Endowment for the Arts
• California Arts Council
• Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia
• Amazon

Media Partners include: Artnet, ArtReview, C Magazine, Cultured Magazine, frieze Magazine, Palm Springs Life, and Visit Greater Palm Springs.

About Desert X

Founded on the principles of the Land Art movement of the 1960s and ‘70s, Desert X is produced by The Desert Biennial, a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting contemporary site-specific art exhibitions that activate desert locations. Its mission is to foster cultural exchange, promote dialogue on environmental and societal issues, and provide a global platform for artists to explore the complex interplay between humans and the natural world.

By integrating history, culture, and environmental awareness, Desert X 2025 challenges visitors to rethink their relationship with time, space, and sustainability—offering an unforgettable experience at the intersection of art and nature.

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