Desert X 2023

About Paloma Contreras Lomas

In Amar a Dios en Tierra de Indios, Es Oficio Maternal by Paloma Contreras Lomas, visitors encounter a dated car that has screeched to a halt. An absurd array of tangled limbs of two mysterious characters wearing long hats sprawl out of the car. Plush hands armed with soft-stuffed guns hang from the windows, barely camouflaged by the artificial overgrowth invading the sculpture. These strange characters accompany the visitor on a caricature of a Western-meets-sci-fi, audio-visual tour of the landscape, where Contreras Lomas pushes back at the violent male gaze of the landscape.

About Sunnylands

Sunnylands Center & Gardens is a contemporary public center with art exhibitions, a theater, multimedia offerings, indoor/outdoor café, gift shop, and nine acres of sustainable desert gardens. Guests can learn about the history of Ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg at Sunnylands, the famous people who visited, and the contemporary mission of the Sunnylands Trust.

The adjoining historic Sunnylands estate, completed in 1966, served as the Annenbergs’ winter home, where they hosted seven U.S. presidents, British royalty, and famous entertainers of the 20th century. Today, the estate is a high-level retreat center, convening world leaders at the highest levels to address serious issues facing the nation and the world.