DESERT RISING

Vanities/Fairground

At the kickoff to an art-treasure hunt in the Coachella Valley, "Desert X" marks the spot for artistic explorers By Britt Hennemuth

Rules don't always apply in the California desert, not for Al Capone and Frank Sinatra, and not for "Desert X" artistic director Neville Wakefield. At the preview of the biennial exhibition [up through April 21), which brings largescale contemporary art to the Coachella Valley, artists, curators, and gallery kids gathered at mob spot turned wellness center Two Bunch Palms for an exclusive kickoff.

"I'm interested where art behaves outside of institutional walls," Wakefield said. "And the desert offers a tradition— it's a place where people have been cast off only to discover themselves." Braving nightfall's temperature dip, guests in Mad Max meets Reagan-era getups were treated to a performance by bird singers from the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians, the people indigenous to

Palm Springs, at the unveiling of Kathleen Ryan's Ghost Palm, one of the 19 works installed throughout the desert. Meanwhile, in line at the make-your-ownpho station, chatter about "streaming," "Bentleys," and "art installers" hummed over the live entertainment of world-renowned whistler Molly Lewis. For rule benders, art-lovers, and soul searchers too, look no further than "Desert X."