SaveArtSpace brings more public art to the Coachella Valley during the Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2020!

SaveArtSpace presents Coachella Valley a group public art exhibition on billboards throughout the Coachella Valley, CA. Curated by Sofía Enríquez. Selected artists are Janet Zepeda, Brian Pescador, and Wane Kan. On View starting March 23, 2020, for at least one month.

Founded in 2015, SaveArtSpace is a non-profit organization that works to create an urban gallery experience, launching exhibitions that address intersectional themes and foster a progressive message of social change. By placing culture over commercialism, SaveArtSpace aims to empower artists from all walks of life and inspire a new generation of young creatives and activists.

Selected Artists

Public Art Location: 6000 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs

Connect with Janet on Instagram at @dammitjz.

Public Art Location: 55797 Grapefruit Blvd, Coachella

Artist Bio: My name is Brian Pescador. I am a photographer based in the Coachella Valley, California, and I was born here. I have been taking photos for most of my life. I graduated from Art Center College of Design in 2012 with a B.F.A. in Photography + Imaging. I am an analog photographer. I only take pictures on film. I love taking portraits of young beautiful people. Most of my work takes place outdoors, and I have made many photos of which were shot here in the desert. I prefer using natural light when the weather is nice, and I shoot in studio out here in the summer when it gets too hot. Some of my biggest photography heroes are Bruce Weber, Ryan McGinley, Nan Goldin, David Armstrong, Mary Ellen Mark, and my dear friend and mentor Paul Jasmin. 

I am a survivor of a mental illness. I was diagnosed Bipolar 1 disorder ( Manic / Depressive ) in 2009 when I was 24 years old. I have been hospitalized in mental institutions over 9 times in the past 10 years. I have had every side effect from medications you can think of. I have never given up hope that I would find balance in my life one day. Photography is my passion, and it’s what I do best. It has saved my life many times by giving me something to focus on during the traumatic times in my life. 

I take photos every day, and I know my purpose in life is to try and become a great photographer. I really don’t have any other goal then to try and make iconic photographs in my life. I am having my first solo exhibition down here in the desert in Indio, California. It will be in May, at the Coachella Valley Art Center. It’s going to be on May 2, from 5-8 pm in Indio, CA. I will be showing a lot of the work that I have shot since I was very young. 

I am so grateful that art and photography have been a great part my life. I define success for myself as being able to make photos everyday for the rest of my life.

Statement: I call this photograph “The Kiss Photo”. I shot it at a Coachella Fest Party in 2009 in Indio, CA. This is the most iconic photo I have ever shot to date. The way it was made was on 35mm color film. This couple in the photo did not even know each other. I saw the guy in the photo standing to my right, and the girl in the photo was standing to my left by a tree with a group of people.  I was really drunk when I shot this photo.  I had been looking at the 2 of them from far away, and I kept looking at them over and over again. I kept turning my head back and forth between the two of them.  They were about 20 feet apart from each other, and I got this feeling in my stomach that I had to take their picture. I don’t know where this feeling came from. 

All I wanted to do was to see if I could get them to make out as I shot their photo.  I went up to both of them, and I asked them, “Will you guys make out for me as I take your photo?”  They both agreed, so I then grabbed them both by their arms, and I sat them down. I said, ok go. They started to kiss, and I directed them to kiss harder. I shot them over and over again.  By the time I had finished shooting their photos, I had shot 3 rolls of  color film on 2 different cameras. I shot over 100 photos of them making out. This was the best one of all the photos that I took of them kissing.

This is how I made this photograph. It has been published in magazines. I love this photo so much. After I finished taking their photos, I knew I had something really special. I knew I had created a piece of Art that would be around for a long time. After I finished shooting the two of them, they walked off together, and I never talked to them again. I saw the guy at the festival, but after that day, I have never seen them again. I don’t even know if they have ever seen the image that I took of them, and I don’t even know their names. I love this photo so much, and I love telling the story of how I shot it.

Connect with Brian on Instagram at @brian_pescador.

Public Art Location: 16760 Palm Dr, Desert Hot Springs

Bio: Wane Kan is a Coachella Valley native.  He acquired the skill of tattooing under the tutelage of Bill Canales (Full Circle Tattoo) in San Diego, CA.  In 2015, Wane opened Iron Palm Tattoo in Palm Springs, CA, with long time homie, Cody Cowan.

Statement: “I am not an artist or who you think I am.  I am just a man who makes pictures.  Sometimes.” I am deeply drawn to the use of line work.  Tattooing and studying the many artists before me, have helped me recognize this.  No matter if the lines are simple or complicated, there is a great power with in them.  I remain focused on trying to balance that power within my work. For “Mesoamerican Ukiyo-e”, I wanted to celebrate the mixture of cultural motifs.  It has become a reoccurring theme in my work.  Because I am of Chinese-Mexican descent, I struggled understanding my identity as a child.  The labels and expectations people gave me created a lot of confusion within myself.  Especially because I felt connected to everyone and no one at the same time.  Eventually, I realized that accepting and embracing oneself is all you will ever need.  Self realization is the path to balancing one’s spirit.  IT AIN’T WHERE YOU FROM, IT’S WHERE YOU AT.

Connect with Wane on Instagram at @wane_kan.