Desert X, the acclaimed international exhibition of site-specific art, returns for its fifth edition, running through 11 May 2025 across various locations in California’s Coachella Valley. This year’s programme includes new work by Kapwani Kiwanga.
Inviting international artists to respond directly to the desert landscape, Desert X features a series of site-specific installations. Known for her research-driven practice exploring land, materials, and overlooked histories, Kiwanga’s pavilion-like structure reflects on the iconic design of 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. Quilts hung from windows and clotheslines acted as coded messages, helping individuals assess dangers and find safety during their perilous journey.
Rooted in this historical context, Kiwanga’s sculpture serves as a rest stop in the imagined pursuit of freedom. Supported by columns of imported stones and local palm fronds, it embodies the dualities of permanence and impermanence, strength and fragility. The utopian vision of a better life is both present in form and clouded in meaning. The midcentury architecture of the area, exemplified by sundown towns and the restrictions of ownership, failed to ensure safety and protection for all.
Kiwanga’s sculpture fosters contemplation and hope while reminding us that history is marked by successive migrations. Manifest Destiny drove pioneers to settle in the West, but for the dispossessed and enslaved, a different promise of freedom awaited in the North.
