Inspiration

At Desert X 2021, Thought-Provoking Art Voices The Disempowered

For the exhibition, Mexican artist Eduardo Sarabia has conceived an immersive maze made from traditional rugs woven from palm fiber—a tribute to the arduous journeys of immigrants from Central America seeking a better future in the US. Berlin-based artist Alicja Kwade reflects instead on systems designed to make sense of an otherwise unfathomable universe. Her installation consists of a set of interlocking steel frames supporting two large levitating blocks of white marble, which give an illusion of instability and reform in new combinations as visitors move in and out of its frames. In addition is Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey’s arresting meditation on colonial pillaging and its effects on trade, through colossal cubes draped with bright yellow plastic from water gallons. Lastly, Saudi artist Zahrah Alghmadi’s monolithic seven-meter-high wall made of forms impregnated with cements, soils, and dyes—a geological record of the past and a reflection on the world’s other deserts and their local cultures.