The much-anticipated second installment of Desert X kicks off today in Greater Palm Springs! The recurring international contemporary art exhibition, curated by returning Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and 2019 co-curators Amanda Hunt and Matthew Schum, is free and open to the public from February 9 through April 21, 2019.

This year, site-specific art installations and performances throughout the Coachella Valley have been created by: Iván Argote, Steve Badgett & Chris Taylor, Nancy Baker Cahill, Cecilia Bengolea, Pia Camil, John Gerrard, Julian Hoeber, Jenny Holzer, Iman Issa, Mary Kelly, Armando Lerma, Eric N. Mack, Cinthia Marcelle, Postcommodity, Cara Romero, Sterling Ruby, Kathleen Ryan, Gary Simmons and Superflex.

Where is Desert X?

The installations span from the Salton Sea as the furthest east location, moving west with sites in Mecca, Coachella, Indio, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs and Whitewater. We’ve broken things up into east valley and west valley Desert X guides to keep things manageable geographically (you can view the companion guide to the west installations here).

 

 

Pia Camil, Lover’s Rainbow, 2019

A: Across from The Atrium at Rancho Mirage, 69930 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage // Coordinates: 33.767371, -116.448537

B: Rancho San Marcos Toros Pintos S/N Km 88 +300, Francisco Zarco, 22750 Ensenada, B.C., MEXICO // Coordinates: 32.03956, -116.6539

Desert X Pia CamilPia Camil, Lover’s Rainbow

Iman Issa, Surrogates, a film about things to be used, in order of appearance, by self or others, for touching upon larger, insidious or different things, 2019

Sunnylands Center & Gardens, 37977 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage

Coordinates: 33.780354, -116.409640

Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 8:30am-4pm

Postcommodity, It Exists in Many Forms, 2019

73697-73745 Santa Rosa Way, Palm Desert

Coordinates: 33.727656, -116.378993

Hours: Open on weekends; free limited tickets available at desertx.org

Walter White Wave House RenderingVintage rendering of the Walter White Wave House, site of Postcommodity's It Exists in Many Forms installation

Superflex, Dive-in, 2019

Cap Homme and Ralph Adams Park, 72500 Thrush Road, Palm Desert

Coordinates: 33.706510, -116.399303

Visit desertx.org for program information

Desert X SuperflexInstallation of Superflex's Dive-in

Cinthia Marcelle, Wormhole, 2019

C: 74-913 Highway 111, Suite 913, Indian Wells

Coordinates: 33.720399, -116.358470

Cinthia Marcelle, Wormhole, 2019

D: 45-088 Oasis Street, Indio

Coordinates: 33.720797, -116.220658

Gary Simmons, Recapturing Memories of the Black Ark, 2014–2019

43143 Jackson Street, Indio

Coordinates: 33.734986, -116.217000

Hours: Open on weekends

Visit desertx.org for program information

Armando Lerma, Visit Us in the Shape of Clouds, 2019

Landfill Road to Polk Street, Coachella

Coordinates: 33.714416, -116.147828

Cinthia Marcelle, Wormhole, 2019

E: 1667 Sixth Street, Coachella

Coordinates: 33.679969, -116.174693

Iván Argote, A Point of View, 2019

70th Avenue & Sea View Way, Mecca

Coordinates: 33.53947, -115.92978

Desert X Ivan ArgoteIván Argote, A Point of View

Cecilia Bengolea, Mosquito Net, 2019

Visit desertx.org for program information

Desert X Cecilia BengoleaCecilia Bengolea, Mosquito Net

Nancy Baker Cahill, Margin of Error, 2019

North Shore Yacht Club, Salton Sea

Coordinates: 33.519434, -115.937109

Instructions: Walk toward the beach (left of the pond), open the 4th Wall app on your phone and tap the Desert X button. You will be directed to the drawing that appears, animated, over the sea.

Desert X Nancy Baker HillNancy Baker Cahill, Margin of Error

Steve Badgett & Chris Taylor, Terminal Lake Exploration Platform, 2019

Salton Sea State Park Recreation Area, 100225 State Park Road, Salton Sea

Coordinates: 33.503733, -115.914664

Hours: Daily, 10am – 4pm

Follow the TLEP at desertx.org

Desert X Badgett TaylorSteve Badgett & Chris Taylor, Terminal Lake Exploration Platform

 

Tips before you start your Desert X tour:

You can pick up this year's Desert X guide (a handy book with information about each installation and the artists, locations and more) at the following hub locations:

Palm Springs: Ace Hotel & Swim Club, 701 E Palm Canyon Dr, room 119, Palm Springs

Palm Desert: 73660 El Paseo, Palm Desert

Indio: 82713 Miles Ave, Indio

Download the free Desert X app (designed by a talented high school student  from Palm Desert named Hunter Martin) to help navigate through the exhibitions.

Nancy Cahill Baker's pieces require the use of the 4th Wall app on your phone or iPad. Be sure to download the 4th Wall app while you're somewhere with WiFi connectivity (due to the app's large size you must download it using WiFi rather than your cellular data).

If you would prefer a guided experience, Desert X offers bus tours on Saturdays and Sundays -- get the details here.

Be sure to take note of the installations and performances that have set hours and specific details necessary to gain access -- you'll want to review your itinerary and the pertinent details before heading to those locations.

Some installation locations do not have exact addresses, so you will want to use the provided latitude and longitude coordinates (you can do a Google search of the coordinates and a map will pop up -- click on that to get directions).

If the location of an installation is not immediately obvious when you arrive, look for the black and white signs with an "x" on them and follow those to the sites.

 

Most Instagramable Installations

We’ve done the legwork and made our selections for the most Instagramable Desert X 2019 installations in the east side of the valley!

1. Eric Mack's Halter // Yards and yards of flowing Missoni fabrics blowing in the wind -- what's not to love!

2. Iván Argote's A Point of View // Climb to the top of the stairs for an epic vantage point of the Salton Sea.

3. Pia Camil's Lover's Rainbow // Get up close for a detail shot of the multi-hued rebar.

Desert X Ivan Argote by Katy CarrierIvan Argote, A Point of View

Desert X Pia CamilPia Camil, Lover's Rainbow

Need a break?

The installations are pretty spread out, so you may need to make a few stops along the way for refreshments. A few spots to check out while touring the east valley installations include:

Koffi on Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage for coffee and pastries

IW Coffee in Indian Wells for coffee and snacks

Oasis Date Farm in Thermal for date samples and date shakes

International Banana Museum in Mecca for banana milkshakes and banana splits

 

Be sure to also check out our guide to the west valley Desert X 2019 installations! Happy art-hunting!