Riot Material

Art. Word. Thought.

An Interview With Neville Wakefield, Curator Of Desert X

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Neville Wakefield is the Curator and Artistic Director of Desert X, a site-specific contemporary art exhibition
 ongoing throughout the Coachella Valley from February 25 to April 30, 2017. RIOT MATERIAL spoke with Neville on the eve of Desert X’s launch. 

CHRISTOPHER HASSETT: What is it about these artists you’ve selected for Desert X that speak to you personally, or speak to a greater vision you’re trying to articulate through the exhibition, and I refer to them more as an inter-connective group as opposed to distinct individuals?  [Read more…]

Riot Material Talks With Desert X Artists Jennifer Bolande, Glenn Kaino, Phillip K. Smith III and Tavares Strachan

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Desert X, a site-specific contemporary art exhibition
 in the Coachella Valley, curated by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield, will become the sweeping canvas for work by established and emerging artists, whose projects will amplify and articulate global and local issues ranging from climate change to Tribal culture, immigration to tourism, gaming to golf. The exhibition, which opens to the public this weekend, 25 February, will focus attention on, and create a conversation about, environmental, social and cultural conditions of the 21st century as reflected in the greater Palm Springs area.  

In an online roundtable discussion, RIOT MATERIAL spoke with Desert X artists Jennifer Bolande, Glenn Kaino, Phillip K. Smith III, Tavares Strachan about the desert, their driving visions, and their particular installations.  [Read more…]