Explore the Monumental Art Installations at Coachella 2022 After a Two-Year Hiatus

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Courtesy of Coachella

After a two-year hiatus, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was back for two weekends in the desert of southern California. Known for its headline-grabbing performances, the festival also includes incredible art installations that add to the magic of the event. Coachella 2022 was no exception and featured immersive pieces by 11 artists, architects, and designers from around the world. The monumental works were often interactive and the creators used their massive platform to explore a variety of themes, but the connecting thread is that they each considered sustainability in some way.

Art enhances the overall experience of Coachella, and it provides another avenue in which the organizers can make an impact on attendees. “Building on our art program with designers, architects, and visual artists from around the world and from the Coachella Valley allows festival-goers to explore shared global interests and perspectives through the experience of ambitious and one-of-a-kind, large-scale installations,” Paul Clemente, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Art program manager explains. “In the same way music is a universal language, the experience of these new spaces invites connectedness and adds an iconic sense of place in the spirit of the Festival.”

Scroll down to get a better look at some of the art included in 2022 and learn what inspired the creatives to craft it.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was back after a two-year hiatus. Here are some of the incredible artworks that were at the event.

 

Buoyed by Kiki van Eijk

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Julian Bajsel, Courtesy of Coachella

Kiki van Eijk's Buoyed featured three 36-feet-tall buoys in white, blue, and green. Each was a different shape and had its own idiosyncrasies. “To me, it's all about the idea that all the different cultures and people, regardless of age or background, come together at the festival,” van Eijk said of her installation. “In the end, we feel and make things better. What's so special about the festival is you're making this journey together, you're in this bubble for three days, everybody is one and that's an added value. I want to bring that out with my pieces.”

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Julian Bajsel, Courtesy of Coachella

 

Cocoon (B.K.F.+H300) by Estudio Normal

aArtwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Julian Bajsel, Courtesy of Coachella

Inspired by the iconic B.K.F. chair—aka the “butterfly” chair—this nine-story sculpture comprised 300 reproductions of the furniture arranged in a totally new way. The result is an abstract cocoon-like shape that offered shade during the day and lit up at night.

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Kirby Gladstein, Courtesy of Coachella

 

The Playground by Architensions

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella

The aptly titled Playground featured bold, bright forms with some iridescent paneling that had an otherworldly glow at night. The four towers ranged from 42 to 56 feet in height and were connected by monkey bar-esque bridges. Beyond its playful exterior is a comment (and reaction to) the single-story suburban sprawl homes often seen throughout the U.S.

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Courtesy of Coachella

 

Mutts by Oana Stănescu

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella

There is a lot we can learn from dogs, from their unbridled joy to their capacity to love. Crafted by Oana Stănescu, the monumental Mutts sculpture series featured dogs filled with a variety of plants. Although there were no puppy-dog eyes here, the gestures of the forms spoke to the quality of canines.

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella

 

Circular Dimensions x Microscape by Cristopher Cichocki

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella

Comprising 25,000 feet of PVC tubes, Circular Dimensions was a five-story tall sculpture that was an “exploration” into water’s significance in the desert as well as the planet. The setup played experimental music while also displaying animations of nature-inspired imagery, from magnified images of water, salt, and algae.

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella

 

La Guardiana by LosDos

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Courtesy of Coachella

The sculpture La Guardiana is full of symbolism. Standing as a protector to immigrants from Mexico and around the world, she wears a skirt that features an illustration of people traveling towards a border wall. The figure also dons horns to show strength and a mask to conceal her identity, highlighting how the journey to a new place can be dangerous but also essential for survival.

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Rachael Polack, Courtesy of Coachella

 

With such amazing art and music, it's no wonder that Coachella has become the festival in spring.

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Courtesy of Coachella

Artwork at Coachella Festival 2022

Photo: Courtesy of Coachella

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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