Desert X Unveils Its 2023 Artists Ahead of Its Coachella Valley Return

THE DESERT, that vibrant, animal-rich, story-laden landscape, is not a blank landscape, an empty canvas, an idea-less place to be filled and festooned with objects and ideas. What it can do is provide an ethereal and esoteric arena for incredible artworks, the pieces that work in concert with the dramatic setting to create something bold, fresh, and potentially life-changing. Big goals, for sure, but then Desert X, the oh-so-big art exhibition has become famous for its ambitious and elevating springtime spectacular, an art show that unfurls across numerous cities dotting the Coachella Valley. Cities and remote places, too, which has given the every-two-years happening a bit of a seek-and-find spirit (maps and apps help visitors reach the next piece, which might be in a hidden valley, on a scrubby hillside, or at the water-lapping edge of the Salton Sea).

THE 2023 EVENT, a two-month extravaganza, opens on March 4. This is the fourth Desert X, with the first taking place in 2017 (the year that included the famous "Mirror House" by Doug Aitken). What can art fans expect to see this year? "Eleven artists from Europe, North America and South Asia will present poetic and immersive works that span sculpture, painting, writing, architecture, design, film, music, performance and choreography, education, and environmental activism in the exhibition curated by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and Co-Curator Diana Campbell." Artists include Lauren Bon, the creator of 2005's celebrated "Not a Cornfield" installation near DTLA and Rana Begum, a lauded artist behind numerous outsized outdoor installations, works full of bright hues and whimsical panache.

DISCOVER MORE: The exhibition's team made the artist announcement on Jan. 30, and while their upcoming works haven't yet been revealed, their past installations can be viewed on the Desert X site.

Pictured: Matt Johnson, "In-N-Out Cup #10," 2017/Coachella Valley (photo credit Desert X)/Rana Begum, "No. 1104 Catching Color" (photo credit Angus Mill)