New, large-scale, immersive works and participatory programmes by acclaimed local and international artists and designers are to be expected

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has revealed that its landmark on-site art programme will include nine international artists, designers and collectives, as well as open art studios for festival-goers. Presented across the expanse of the Empire Polo Field, the large-scale installations will bring new, multisensory dimensions to the festival’s programme of music performances held over two weekends – 14-16 April and 21-23 April, 2023. 

Through light and colour, otherworldly installations will invite playful reimagination and exploration across multiple dimensions, providing new spaces for connection and community. Newly commissioned, sculptural works by artists and designers from across France, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the US have been selected for their unique influence on global visual culture.

“Surprise encounters with these outsized projects in the middle of the valley, surrounded by music and the collective energy of the crowd has become a much-anticipated shared experience at the festival, and some of the works have been woven into the archetypal imagery of Coachella,” enthuses Paul Clemente, who manages the art programme for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

“The arts programme has evolved significantly since inception and the participants, who come from around the world and from Southern California are well-respected in their fields, presenting extraordinary and thoughtful works in a setting where they can inspire, inform, and invite direct engagement with art and current social and cultural themes and ideas. It is a unique aspect of this festival, and we really endeavor to carry that spark into the community with adjacent school programs and our on-site Coachella Arts Studios.”

Lending colour, light and alternate perspectives to the charged atmosphere, the featured works will act as fresh and architectural beacons to draw, inspire, nurture and navigate festival-goers, offering a sense of joy and freedom, respite and shade, and will transform the iconic Coachella landscape at various times of day and night.

The new works will be presented for the first time amongst previously debuted visitor favourites Robert Bose, Do LaB, Don Kennell and NEWSUBSTANCE, and community-based initiatives by Raices Cultura and the Coachella Art Studios.

“In selecting projects from around the world, our intention is to bring together artists, architects and designers whose practices invite participation, inclusion, and transformation,” shares Raffi Lehrer, Curatorial Advisor. “We strive to create a multidisciplinary and multicultural program that reflects our audience and the many performing artists that grace the stages of the festival. The resulting works will become icons — part of the identity of this year’s show. These installations act simultaneously as way-finding markers, points of congregation, and most importantly, accessible entry points for all show-goers to experience art.” coachella.com