Sterling Ruby’s Luminous Addition To The Californian Desert

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. Its monolithic mass will remain on show from sunrise to sunset until the 21st of April, 2019. Entry to Desert X is free.