#desertx2021

[immigrantslenz]

#AFROGALONISMTEAM AYA! SERGE ATTUKWEI CLOTTEY @afrogallonism 📸: Nana Osei - 2021 #sergeattukweiclottey #desertx #desertx2021 #afrogallonism #afrogallonismteam #art #contemporaryart #accra #ghana #africa #coachellavalley #coachella #artnewsafrica #dynamicafrica #visiterlafrique #ashantiimmigrant #accrawedey #streetstyle #streetphotography (at Accra, Ghana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMrRmtiJAqa/?igshid=1a7b8w5pa89wc

[carmonaphotography]

Never Forget. Artist: Nicholas Galanin. Desert X 2021. Palm Springs. California. A reference to the Hollywood sign. Never Forget asks settler landowners to participate in the work by transferring land titles and management to local indigenous communities. And always remember who’s land this really is. #carmonaphotography #desertx #desertx2021 #happy #palmsprings #art #artist #arts #picoftheday #artistsoninstagram #desert #california #photo #photography #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #landscape #landscapephotography #landscapelovers #passionpassport #west #justgoshoot #gramslayers #whatliesbehindthewalls @dr.zahrah_alghamdi #deserthotsprings #coachellavalley #love #instagood #beautiful (at Palm Springs Visitors Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/COvfK0iJaA7/?igshid=17zzeutzvos8h

[alyssabaches]

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I've lost practice.. I know I'm a little rusty jajaja it seems I only remember the reverse effects lol 😆 but had so much fun filming it. So hard to walk on sand ... 🏜 #midesertlife #desertx2021 #broll #desertx #midesertlife #lavidaeneldesierto #layoutuberdelpueblo #latinaplussize #latinx (at Palm Springs, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPQ-UnTHuV8/?utm_medium=tumblr

[geracaoalpha]

Desert-X 2021: A dialogue between arts, land and people

As our world begins to reopen, we are excited to once again be able to experience exhibitions and explore new works. Our co-founder, Manuela Séve, recently visited Desert X 2021 to explore these works first-hand. 

Running from March 12 - May 16 in Coachella Valley, CA, Desert X 2021 is an art exhibition that explores the desert as both a place and an idea. Curated by Cesar Garcia-Alvarez and Neville Wakefield, the exhibition acknowledges the realities of people who reside there, as well as the political, social, and cultural landscape that shapes our stories. Newly-commissioned works explore a variety of themes including land rights and ownership, migration, racial narratives of the West, social justice, water exploitation, and the gendered landscape.

Site specific installations by almost a dozen renowned international artists activate the desert landscape, and some works will remain on-site for viewing even after the exhibition closes. 

Safely Operating During COVID-19

Given the rapidly-evolving conditions associated with a global pandemic, Desert X was postponed from its initial scheduled opening in February. By March, restrictions had eased enough that the exhibition was allowed to open. While public bus tours were not offered as they had been in previous years, trained docents were available on-site. Desert X 2021 was one of the first events in the region after the COVID pandemic lockdowns, offering a safe, outdoor setting for visitors. 

Over 650,000 visits were recorded during the event, which took place from March 12 – May 16. This year’s visitor records exceeded the 2019 event by more than 200,000 visits.

Alpha’a Visits Desert X 2021

Our experience attending and interacting with the works was extremely insightful. Key themes from this year included the challenge histories of land art, what we can do as individuals and communities, reflecting on the moment, speaking from indigenous land, working with indigenous people, and land art. We are thankful that we were able to partake in this experience along with so many others.

Artists & Artworks

Here are some of our favorite works from the exhibit - 

“This Land: Making Never Forget” Nicholas Galanin

Nicholas Galanin’s monumental project “This Land: Making Never Forget” explores the complex histories of the land it stands on. Galanin’s inquiry compels us to assess who we are as individuals and human beings and our personal connections to the desert while reflecting on this current moment. The work battles conversations that are endangering people and their forceful removal from the land they belong to. The work’s focal intention is to bring a call to action to this cause. Today, we live in a world where land acknowledgment has become normalized in institutional societies.

The work connects with the iconic imagery of the Hollywood sign, which initially was spelled “Hollywoodland” and was built in a black neighborhood with the purpose of selling real estate for the elite from the film industry. California has a major history of moving out local communities to promote “development”, such as the indigenous that originally inhabited Palm Springs, and the black community that used to live in today’s region of Hollywood sign. This is the history of America and the american dream that often excludes non-white communities from the conversation.  “Never Forget” stands as reference to the land and its history.  It is not about the piece itself or the letters, but how it engages with people and invites them to participate in this call to action through the powerful meaning the work conveys. 

The Future of the project is how the work evolves through peoples histories, conversions, and ideas. The work can move to other locations to see how the conversations will evolve in those different communities. “The work is not done when it is up, it’s just the beginning” 

— Nicholas Galanin’s Never Forget until August 15

“In What Lies Behind the Walls” Zahrah Alghamdi 

Alghamdi’s work explores hope and a promise of spiritual preservation and human freedom. The piece is a sculptural work of a wall, almost 25 feet high, created with what visualizes as stacks of turf or folded fabric. The work was built using the earth in Palm Springs.  The colors, mountains and desert resemble those of her own country. 

The wall is positioned facing northwest and southwest, touching on the directions of Mecca, representing on one side the roots of her islamic faith and her hometown in Saudi Arabia and to the other side, the union between what’s in both sides of it. Her work is inspired by her hometown in Al-bahah, as well as the stories and memories she has lived. She explores ideas of history, memory, trade and cultural convergence. In her own words “You might always see a wall as a barrier, that’s a problem that you face, which makes you sit behind the wall. My idea is that we shouldn’t build walls between us”.

https://desertx.org/dx/desert-x-21/zahrah-alghamdi

Zahrah Alghamdi, “What Lies Behind the Walls,” 2021, mixed media

“The Wishing Well” Serge Attukwei Clottey⁠

The Wishing Well is a sculpture of two 9 ft  installations of large-scale towers, created with pieces of yellow plastic Kufuor gallons used to transport water in Ghana.

The work is in response to the shared struggles with water insecurity that are occurring,  representing the many wells around the world that people must trek to daily to collect water, especially during the 6 year drought in Ghana that took place by the end of the 60’s. The installation also speaks to the land it sits on, situated in Coachella Valley, whose future is also dependent on water. 

This is an issue that African communities deal with every single day. Even in modern African life, this is a necessity,  and their lives revolve around the consumption of water through these jerrycans. The yellow cubes represent a form of richness and the material is tied to a larger critique on colonialism. 

The artist is interested in the community aspect, bringing people together and collaborating. This conversation translates across geographies. 

https://desertx.org/dx/desert-x-21/serge-attukwei-clottey

If you want to discover more contemporary artists that explore similar discourses and themes, have a look in these selected artists from Alpha’a Inc community: 

Marvin Amberg, a photographer with a series of ghost towns in Namibia.

Elias Souza is a photographer, whose work revolves around the nature and culture of the Amazon.

Julia Vanderput, writer, photographer and creative strategist from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her work explores dismantling all oppressive structures and how decolonization is now more pertinent and urgent. 

Moises Patricio, who lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil, explores art and its relation with social media, everyday life in São Paulo, and the politics of race in Brazil today.

Steve Lefkovits is a landscape and nature photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His work explores themes of the importance of nature and how it is connected to the spiritual understanding of life. 

Nick Turner is an American artist born in Boston in 1983. There is a  deeply personal relationship with nature and his personal interest in horses and surfing that are juxtaposed against family history motifs and vast empty landscapes from around the globe. There is a play between his individual experiences in life as an artist and the larger dialogue about society and man’s place in the natural world.

[installationmagazine]

Fuji developments from #DesertX21

[barbarapicci]

The 5 most evocative installations of #DesertX 2021 @_desertx (Photo: Never Forget by #NicholasGalanin) Info & gallery: https://barbarapicci.com/2021/05/11/desert-x-2021/ #installazione #DesertX2021 #desert #deserto #artinstallation #CoachellaFestival #CoachellaValley #cultureisfreedom #artisfreedom #curiositykilledtheblogger #artblogging #photooftheday #artaddict #artistsoninstagram #amazing #artwork #instacool #instaart #followart #artlover #contemporaryart #artecontemporanea #artmuseum #artcurator #artwatchers #artcollectors #artdealer #arthistory https://www.instagram.com/p/COvD9AFFSJr/?igshid=49h90waa5kpu

[funteeworks]

Indian Land by Desert X #indianland #palmsprings #tshirt #tshirtdesign #desertx2021 (at Palm Springs, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/COn_7XFnIaK/?igshid=9cvttcz4sm9m

[hread2]

[terrellsandefur]

DesertX

[immigrantslenz]

SERGE ATTUKWEI CLOTTEY @afrogallonism Yesterday Serge installed his “The Wishing Well” work in Labadi. It doubled as an open studio for the community and art enthusiasts came around. The installation is an extension of Serge Attukwei Clottey’s work at the ongoing @desertx 2021 in the Coachella Valley, California. Curated by @tmrcesar & @nevillewakefield 📸: Nana Osei - 2021 #sergeattukweiclottey #desertx #desertx2021 #afrogallonism #afrogallonismteam #art #contemporaryart #accra #ghana #africa #coachellavalley #coachella #artnewsafrica #dynamicafrica #visiterlafrique #ashantiimmigrant #accrawedey #streetstyle #streetphotography (at Accra, Ghana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMosMsDpVx-/?igshid=h6adsn16ta9d

[carmonaphotography]

What lies behind the walls. Artist: Zahrah Alghamdi. Desert X 2021. She grew up in Saudi Arabia and when she visited Palm Springs she was struck by the connection between landscape and architectures. #carmonaphotography #desertx #desertx2021 #happy #palmsprings #art #artist #arts #picoftheday #artistsoninstagram #desert #california #photo #photography #travel #travelphotography #travelgram #landscape #landscapephotography #landscapelovers #passionpassport #west #justgoshoot #gramslayers #whatliesbehindthewalls @dr.zahrah_alghamdi #deserthotsprings #coachellavalley #love #instagood #beautiful (at Desert Hot Springs, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/COveEeApGHw/?igshid=11cz2hibyt6vr

[danstiel]

“Jackrabbit Homestead” explores the legacy of the Small Tract Act in California’s Morongo Basin region near Joshua Tree National Park.

Located near Palm Springs, her recreation of a 122 sq foot cabin built from a kit was not uncommon among homesteaders in the 1950s.

[alyssabaches]

Si te da paz Ya te esta dando todo 🕊 #freespirit #enticonfioseñor #midesertlife #desertx2021 #targetstyle #latinaplussize (at Palm Springs, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPGiUXZMxpy/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mariodelopez]

Never Forget Nicholas Galanin Desert X 2021 Palm Springs, CA Coachella Valley #neverforget #nicholasgalanin #desertx2021 #coachellavalley #palmsprings #california #artinstallation #landart #memoryandland #indigenousland #indigenousrights #artinpandemictimes (at Palm Springs, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMYV-yWg2lC/?igshid=tx9ubl125kwj

[thousand1000words]

Indian Land. Indianland. #desertx2021 #desertx #artofinstagram #art #palmsprings #palmspringslife (at Palm Springs, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPyFf3XhLl_/?utm_medium=tumblr

[pikasus-artenews]

Desert X, 2021

Alla COACHELLA VALLEY, la Biennale che fornisce una piattaforma accessibile per artisti di tutto il mondo per affrontare temi ecologici, culturali, spirituali e altri temi esistenziali, confrontandosi con un ambiente naturale estremo.