THRU SEPTEMBER 24 – Denver Art Museum
The west is a landscape of constant motion—a place of unbroken horizons, staggering views, and changing borders. Certain modes of transportation have become linked to this region. Images of horses roaring across the land, cars cruising on busy streets and forgotten roads, and skaters gliding on pavement elicit feelings of freedom, power, and rebellion. Desert Rider: Dreaming in Motion focuses on self-identified Latinx and Indigenous artists who express identity, pride, and a sense of community by transforming vehicles associated with the Southwest. These transformations both challenge stereotypes and embody hope. Customization and creation can tie together ideas of history, place, resistance, discovery, and empowerment in a single object. This exhibition acknowledges the urgent need to make space for voices deeply connected to and reflective of the region’s complicated past and its future. Whether you are from Denver, Los Angeles, or Española, New Mexico, your ride is not just an activity, it’s a way of life.