Desert X installation in Whitewater vandalized a week after code violation
Organizers of the art biennial Desert X are asking installation visitors to "Respect the Art" after one of its artworks was vandalized over the weekend.
A week after Matt Johnson's "Sleeping Figure," a large installation made of shipping containers at Haugen-Lehman Way and Railroad Avenue, was hit with a code violation by Riverside County, graffiti appeared on multiple receptacles.
In a statement, Johnson said "I kind of expected it."
"I was hoping the graffiti artists would respect the sculpture and would refrain. Needless to say, we will be painting it out and restoring the work. The installation is made of used containers which have traveled many thousands of miles and had graffiti painted over previously. This is yet another layer."
Executive Director Jenny Gil said the installation was cleaned up over the weekend.
Shipping containers have been a target for graffiti vandalism for decades and appeared on the interior and exteriors of subway cars in New York during the '70s and '80s. According to a 2013 article by HuffPost, the city spent $300 million to prevent and remove graffiti from the subways by 1989.
"Graffiti is a form of art like any other, and we obviously respect every form of art, but as Matt Johnson's sculpture is lying there, it is artwork and we ask for artists to respect other artists' work," Gil said.
The artwork is visible from the Interstate 10 freeway and has appeared on many social media posts since the exhibition opened on March 3.
Johnson created "Sleeping Figure" to reflect on the effects of supply chain issues over the past two years. Its location along the path to the Port of Los Angeles, between the distribution centers in North Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, is a meditation on the global economy and the logistics of moving the everyday products we buy.
This year's exhibition features 10 large-scale, and sometimes provocative, installations from Palm Desert to Palm Springs with themes such as a fictitious conspiracy theory, the plight of the Salton Sea and a remembrance of water flowing through the desert. It's also the organization's most diverse exhibition yet, featuring artists from countries such as the U.S., Mexico, India, Germany and Bangladesh.
Founder Susan Davis said in a January statement that artists have been provided with a “non-judgmental platform” since the biennial began in 2017 to create an international conversation.
“For 2023, visitors will encounter immersive works that respond to the global impact of climate change, economic challenges and the profound social transformations we are confronting,” Davis said.
Desert X runs through May 7 at multiple locations throughout the Coachella Valley, including Sunnylands Center and Gardens, Portola Road in Palm Desert and the James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center in Palm Springs. A complete list of installations and a map is available at desertx.org
A previous version of this article included an incorrect title for Matt Johnson's installation and has been corrected.
Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert X installation vandalized a week after code violation
