A spectacle composed of light and land, Restrictive Measures reveals how Chris Sanchez, aka Kas Infinite — a Coachella-based multimedia artist known for creating dramatic interventions in the environment — feels about sheltering at home.
“This is a project that translates my personal experience here in the Coachella Valley during this COVID-19 crisis,” Sanchez says, whose effort earned a $500 grant to ‘Keep Art Alive’ from the California Desert Arts Council (CDAC). “After seeing California and the world close down most public spaces and enforcing social distancing, it almost feels as if there is an invisible wall keeping us out.”
In the atmospheric Restrictive Measures, the artist renders in red light the invisible barriers we’ve created amid the pandemic to express the urgency for awareness to curb the spread of the virus. Typically in his practice, which includes painting, sculpture, digital art, light and video, Sanchez creates work that responds to urban or environmental locations — a continuous dialogue to foster a greater understanding of ancestral heritage and time and space.
“It makes sense that the site-specific work has to do with the environment of the desert and its history,” the artist says. “My grandfather has a ranch in the desert, and I grew up out there. [My art] is my form of connection. It brings me closer and gives more meaning to my practice.”
CDAC and affiliate La Quinta Arts Foundation established a $50,000 Keep Art Alive fund to award grants to Coachella Valley artists and arts organizations who create thoughtful, inspiring, and relevant works.
Follow Chris Sanches on Instagram at @kasinfinite
