Photo: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 // Kumkum Fernando, “The Messengers,” photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of Coachella
Music, art, desert vibes. That’s the essence behind Coachella, and each year the art seems to get bigger and bolder.
We’re impressed by The Messengers by Kumkum Fernando, a series of towering block-like robot sculptures, standing between 65 feet and 80 feet high. Their vibrant paint and pattern is a reflection of Fernando’s south-asian heritage and inspiration, which combines multiple patterns and colors together.
The sculptures grace the main stage yard at Coachella, and are lit at night, and take on a different color and persona.
We appreciate the artistic personality that the robots imbue, and look forward to more of Fernando’s fascinating sculpture.
Photo: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 // Kumkum Fernando, “The Messengers,” photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of CoachellaPhoto : Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 // Kumkum Fernando, “The Messengers,” photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of Coachella
“Whenever I travel, I collect and document,” he says. “I have a library that I go through at different points in time. When I put them together, I often see unexpected things. I made a series of work completely out of window grills, another series from patterns from Persian rugs, and another from temple patterns. One day, I was arranging objects, and they appeared to form a figure. Then I thought I should make figures with these patterns.”
-Kumkum Fernando
Photo: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 // Kumkum Fernando, “The Messengers,” photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of CoachellaPhoto: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 // Kumkum Fernando, “The Messengers,” photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of CoachellaPhoto: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 // Kumkum Fernando, “The Messengers,” photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of CoachellaPhoto: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 // Kumkum Fernando, “The Messengers,” photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of Coachella
Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
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