I’d heard of Desert X for years, but didn’t get the chance to go until this year, on the weekend before it closed. My husband and I decided to make it a three day desert jaunt to see what we could, and it was well worth it!
Day 1, Sun 5/4/25
We decided to check out the three northern Desert Hot Springs installations first, but due to the surprisingly cold, rainy, and windy weather, we only made it to two before decamping to our hotel in Cathedral City.
Stop 1: Jose Davila – The Act of Being Together. This piece seemed like it’d be underwhelming when we first checked it out online, but in person its stark beauty and monumentality made it much more impressive.
Stop 2: Alison Saar – Soul Service Station. The weather got really bad here and we couldn’t get a good look inside the structure with all the rain drops. We decided to come back another time, if the weather got better.
Day 2, Mon 5/5/25
Today was when we planned to see the bulk of the installations, and maybe throw a hike in. The weather was much improved, but still mostly overcast with intermittent moisture.
Stop 3: Agnes Denes – The Living Pyramid. Alas, we didn’t get to see this! When we got to Sunnylands, we found out that it was closed Mon-Tue (the info was on the website but not in the app, which we were using to navigate) 🙄 Oh well, off to the next one!
Stop 4: Sarah Meyohas – Truth Arrives in Slanted Beams. This was one of our faves—monumental in scale with cool interactivity. There were these giant metal discs that you could move around to make reflections on the various undulating walls.
Stop 5: Cannupa Hanska Luger – G.H.O.S.T. Ride / (Generative Habitation Operating System Technology). Located on the grounds of the tranquil Temalpakh Farm, this vehicle was like something out of Mad Max, except maybe not quite as apocalyptic. It was fun to look at all the details.
We walked around the farm to look at another art installation (unrelated to Desert X) and checked out the market, where we got a delicious smoothie!
After this, we went further out into Coachella to look at work from previous and current Desert X exhibits.
Stop 6: Armando Lerma – La Fiesta en El Desierto (from Desert X 2017). A large mural on the side of a market, in a neighborhood with a bunch of other cool murals, no doubt inspired by the recognition from the previous Desert X.
Stop 7: Armando Lerma – Visit Us in the Shape of Clouds (from Desert X 2019). Another piece by Lerma, this time much more ambitious in scale and concept. Painted on the side of a water tower (?) out by a landfill. A stark juxtaposition of natural images in a very industrial space, itself set in a vast natural area.
Stop 8: Sanford Biggers – Unsui (Mirror). One of our faves, helped out by all the crazy wind that kicked up. We could hear the tinkling of the little round metal scales that the “clouds” were made of over the winds.
Stop 9: Kapwani Kiwanga – Plotting Rest. Mysterious and intriguing structure that could be a portal into another dimension.
We headed to downtown Palm Springs after to finish out our day with another previous Desert X exhibit.
Stop 10: Felipe Baeza – Finding Home in My Own Flesh. Enormous tile mural down a small street right off the main drag, not too far from the PS Art Museum.
It was a really long day; no time for a hike, alas, but we rewarded ourselves with cocktails from the fun airline-themed bar called PS Air. 🍸
Day 3, Tue 5/7/25
Stop 11: Ronald Rael – Adobe Oasis. 3D-printed adobe walls—pretty neat. Texture like macrame for giants. Felt like a maze/labyrinth too.
Stop 12: Kimsooja – To Breathe – Coachella Valley. This was supposed to be #3 on the first day but we’d gotten rained out. Really needed sunny weather for this one, and thankfully Mother Nature cooperated. The etched plexiglass spiral created intriguing blurs as well as cool prismatic reflections.
We then did a cool short hike nearby:
Then on our way out happened to pass by #2 and decided to revisit it—so glad we did!
What an awesome experience—looking forward to Desert X 2027!
Stephanie Han Art & Design 