Fresh off Modernism Week, Greater Palm Springs has always been a major west-coast hub for art in the cooler months. In keeping with this momentum, Desert X, the biennial art celebration, returns for its fifth anniversary on Saturday, March 8, through Sunday, May 11.

 Curated by artistic director Neville Wakefield and co-curator Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas, Desert X reflects on the desert’s deep time evolutions, reframing ideas and wilderness, and exploring themes of Indigenous futurism, design activism, colonial power asymmetries, the impress of humanity on the land and the role of emerging technologies in our contemporary society. 

This year, Desert X will host eleven artists from Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East including Sanford Biggers, Glorieta, Kapwani Kiwanga, Alison Saar, and more. Here are some of the art pieces that will grace the Coachella Valley landscape:

  • Unsui (Mirror) by Biggers features two towering sequin sculptures set against the expansive desert sky. Clouds, a recurring motif in Biggers’s work, symbolize freedom, boundlessness, and interconnection. Drawing on the artist’s study of Buddhism, these clouds — or unsui (“clouds and water” in Japanese) — embody unencumbered movement. Shimmering in the desert light, they evoke a feeling of timelessness and transcendence. Located in the arid desert, where clear skies often prevail, serves as a powerful promise of water and a message of hope.

    Desert X

    Agnes Denes, Desert X (Lance Gerber)

  • Kiwanga’s Plotting Rest, a pavilion-like structure reflects on the famous midcentury design found in Palm Springs, signaling protection while offering none. Its roof, a lattice made of interlocking triangles, hovers overhead, allowing the elements to pass through and casting ever-changing shadows on the ground. Inspired by the quilting motif known as “flying geese,” this pattern resonates with the contested narratives of the Underground Railroad, serving as an encrypted guidance system for those fleeing slavery toward the perceived freedom of the North. Kiwanga’s sculpture fosters contemplation and hope while reminding us that history is marked by successive migrations.
  • In Soul Service Station,  Saar continues her alchemical exploration of salvage, both as a material and metaphorical act. Soul Service Station reimagines a sculptural intervention Saar created in 1986 in Roswell, New Mexico. Drawing inspiration from gas stations that have populated the American West, including the Coachella Valley, Saar’s station offers more than practical services; it provides fuel for the soul and combines community-crafted elements with furnishings made from salvaged materials.

Musée du Al, Los Angeles’s newest—and smallest—contemporary art museum, will open its doors on Saturday, April 19, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

 A labor of love from Marc Kreisel —artist, collector, and original proprietor of the American Hotel, American Gallery, and the legendary Al’s Bar, which defined Downtown L.A.’s art and music scene in the 1970s and 1980s—the Musée du Al pays tribute to the irreverent, boundary-pushing spirit of that era. . Many regard Al’s Bar, and the creative forces that congregated there, as the origin of what ultimately grew into today’s DTLA Arts District. UCLA has noted Al’s cultural and historical significance by including many of its artifacts and communications in its Special Collections archive.

The museum’s inaugural exhibition will feature works from Kreisel’s private collection, many of which were gifts from artists he knew and supported. The show will also include contemporary works from artists who embody the punk-dadaist ethos of Al’s Bar. The exhibition will run for six to eight weeks.

Featured artists include Joseph Beuys, Dede Bazyk, John Valadez, Paul Dillon, Allen Ruppersberg, Kenzi Shiokava, Gary Lloyd, Ron Linden, Colleen Sterritt, Brad Wong, and many others.

Upcoming exhibitions will highlight women artists, Latino artists, and a special “Friends of Al’s Bar” show. Solo exhibitions are also in the works, including one featuring L.A.-based painter Hamilton Philips.

 The Musée du Al is located in Echo Park at 1343 Allesandro Street, Los Angeles. Visitors should use the alley entrance at the rear of the property. The museum is open by invitation or appointment only.

DSesert X

Marc Kreisel at Al’s Bar (Gary Leonard)