Kimsooja’s mesmerizing light-filled installation for Desert X 2025

Glass pavilion wrapped in diffraction film glowing with rainbow colors under the desert sun, set against the arid landscape of Desert Hot Springs
Desert X 2025 installation view of Kimsooja, To Breathe Coachella Valley, photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy Desert X

Desert X 2025 unveils To Breathe – Coachella Valley installation by Kimsooja

The installation To Breathe – Coachella Valley by renowned conceptual artist Kimsooja invites audiences to experience the elemental connection between body, space, and light in the desert environment of Desert Hot Springs.

Located on Pierson Boulevard between Foxdale Drive and Miracle Hill Road, this artwork commissioned by Desert X 2025, draws from Kimsooja’s extensive multidisciplinary practice that spans sculpture, painting, performance, and installation.

Her work consistently explores themes of interconnectedness, cultural identity, and the cycles of life, and this piece brings those ideas into sharp focus through a striking architectural intervention.

Visitors walking barefoot through the light-filled installation, surrounded by shimmering reflections and the sandy desert floor
Desert X 2025 installation view of Kimsooja, To Breathe Coachella Valley, photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy Desert X

Constructed as a transparent glass pavilion, the installation encourages viewers to become part of the performance by engaging directly with the desert surroundings—the heat of the sand, the stillness of the air, and the ever-shifting quality of natural light.

Wrapped in a unique diffraction film, the structure becomes a “bottari of light,” referencing the artist’s frequent use of bottaris—traditional Korean fabric bundles that carry personal belongings.

The film acts as a luminous textile, etched with thousands of fine lines that resemble the warp and weft of woven cloth. As sunlight passes through, it casts kaleidoscopic patterns, enveloping visitors in a shifting spectrum of color and sensation.

Close-up of the transparent structure’s surface showing intricate lines and rainbow hues as sunlight refracts through the optical film
Desert X 2025 installation view of Kimsooja, To Breathe Coachella Valley, photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy Desert X

Mirrors and optical elements, longstanding features of Kimsooja’s work, reflect her deep engagement with the impermanence of light and its philosophical underpinnings. This installation resonates with her earlier project in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, drawing a line between two distant deserts through the shared breath of air and light.

While it acknowledges the legacy of the Light and Space movement native to California, To Breathe – Coachella Valley also transcends geography, infusing Eastern philosophies—Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism—with a contemporary, female voice from East Asia.

Panoramic view of Kimsooja’s light-filled installation in the Coachella Valley desert, radiating colorful reflections in the open landscape
Desert X 2025 installation view of Kimsooja, To Breathe Coachella Valley, photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy Desert X

The result is a contemplative experience that blurs boundaries between viewer and environment, art and ritual, material and immaterial. In the quiet openness of the Coachella Valley, Kimsooja invites reflection on the fragility and beauty of the present moment, offering a meditative space that reconnects us to the invisible forces that bind humanity together.

Wide view of Kimsooja’s installation blending into the open desert, with mountains in the background and sunlight casting dynamic light patterns
Desert X 2025 installation view of Kimsooja, To Breathe Coachella Valley, photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy Desert X

All images by Lance Gerber, with courtesy Desert X, shared with permission


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