Lance Gerber
Desert X installation view of Alicja Kwade’s “ParaPivot (sempiternal clouds).” 2021.
When she was around four years old, Diana Campbell visited the Getty Villa Museum with her parents. It was a defining moment in her life.
"What's interesting about the Getty Villa [is] not just the paintings," Campbell says. "It's all the paintings, the furniture, the settings, everything coming together. And my parents explained to me that museums were about sharing."
That feeling – "that museums could be these worlds that you could share with others" – inspired Campbell’s work as an art curator in South and Southeast Asia, where she served as the founding artistic director of Dhaka-based Samdani Art Foundation in Bangladesh and chief curator of the Dhaka Art Summit.
Campbell is bringing that passion to her role as co-curator of Desert X 2023, joining Artistic Director Neville Wakefield in the fourth iteration of the biannual, site-specific contemporary art exhibition taking place throughout the Coachella Valley from March 4 to May 7.
There are parallels between Desert X and Campbell's work in Bangladesh, where the 2023 Dhaka Art Summit, held in February, welcomed 572,000 visitors in nine days.
"It's massively visited by a local public – primarily, people who have never been to an art show before or that don't go to museums, because there are no contemporary art museums in Bangladesh," Campbell says. "And it's similar to Desert X in terms of the audience. My audience would be first-time art visitors, but also museum directors and some of the world's most foremost artists. And, also similar to Desert X, most of the artists are making new work for the show."
The focus on new work is vital. "Why would you put something into the landscape where it could be encountered somewhere else?" Campbell asks. "We're very careful about the energy that we put out into the world.
"I think it's a place – like my encounter with art as a child – where people can see the importance of imagination. Or, for people who aren't as privileged as I was to have their parents take them to museums, it's a place where you can encounter these other worlds of thinking – at a young age – where it can be transformative.
"I think what's also beautiful about art is that 'how it is' isn't how it has to be. I think that space of imagination is so important, and there's less and less space for that."
Campbell's maternal family is indigenous CHamoru from the island of Guam. Born in Los Angeles and educated at Princeton, she is committed to addressing the concerns of underrepresented regions and artists. Her commitment to fostering a transnational art world is on display at Desert X 2023, which features immersive works by artists from Europe, North America, and South Asia.
Artist and educator Gerald Clarke is an active member of the Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians. He created a piece of art called "Immersion" for Desert X 2023.
"His work takes the form of a giant basket informed by his indigenous traditions," Campbell says. "But, it will actually be a board game where you learn about indigenous histories. Rohingyas who are in Bangladesh – or CHamoru in Guam – factor into this game, as do Cahuillan Agua Caliente and other local groups. So, it's connecting to the local indigenous histories and global indigenous discourse."
Since it was founded, Desert X has inspired artists to explore social and environmental issues, including economic challenges and climate crisis in a changing world. “Contrary to the archetype, a desert is not defined by the absence of water,” visitors to the Desert X website are reminded. “The desert landscape is formed by the memory of water.”
The Salton Sea, where water levels have been dropping for two decades, reflects both the absence and memory of water. It is the focus for visual artist and environmental activist Lauren Bon and her creation, "In The Smallest Sea with the Largest Heart."
"She likes to think, 'Could infrastructure be art?'" Campbell says. "Her artwork is going to attempt to clean Salton Sea water. So, the energy that's extended in the piece – rather than illustrate an environmental crisis – tries to mitigate it."
Desert X 2023 embraces big dreams for big spaces. "We tried to design this Desert X with something you can't just experience on a screen or with Instagram," Campbell says. "A lot of the pieces are physical experiences. While we have the app to help you navigate the show, it's really about being outside with art and nature and thinking about your place in that. So, get off of Instagram, get into the landscape, and enjoy it."
Like water – or the memory of water – Desert X has a flow that captures the imagination and reflects the experiences of the artists, curators, and visitors. “We're working with artists whose ideas are changing all the time," Campbell says. "We're also working with landscapes that are changing. The sites change based on what's available. So, it's a constantly changing show. But, I think what's great is that the experience of working on Desert X – both for the artists and the curators – will be transformative for all of us because we're doing something new and we're learning in the process. I'm not someone that's defeatist. I think that art is a place of hope. You can do something. Things can be different."
