Specter: Coachella Valley Art Installation by Sterling Ruby

‘Specter’ is a large fluorescent monolith created by Sterling Ruby as part of the second iteration of the Desert X exhibition.

“Occupying 55 miles of Southern California’s valley, Desert X has repurposed the former nuclear test site as a vast and beautiful exhibition space for artists. Neville Wakefield, the artistic director of the biennial, explained that the 19 commissioned artworks ‘embrace a range of ecological, environmental, and social issues that have been driving conversations about our role in the Anthropocene.’

Ruby’s ‘Specter’ is a luminous addition to the Californian landscape, its shimmering mass almost seems a mirage when viewed at a distance. The color is blinding, increasing visibility of ‘Specter’, but decreasing legibility: What actually is it? Shaped like a bunker, the structure has no entry.”

Photos: Lance Gerber, Allison Sowers-Altman, Robert Wedemeyer.

More art on the grid via Ignant