El Mirage: a red line path unfurls across the California Desert
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El Mirage is a site-specific installation by artist Gregory Orekhov, located on the dry lakebed of El Mirage in California. The work consists of a one-kilometer (3,000-foot) red polypropylene strip, unfurled along an east–west axis that mirrors the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset. The land art installation establishes a precise geometric intervention within the desert’s cracked surface. By tracing a linear path through the open terrain, the work creates a direct visual and spatial dialogue between human scale and the vastness of the surrounding landscape. Throughout the day, the appearance of the red line changes in response to shifting light conditions. At sunrise, it appears sharply defined; at midday, its edges soften against the reflective surface; and by evening, it catches the low sun, taking on a luminous quality. These temporal variations emphasize the connection between the work’s orientation and the cyclical movement of natural light. Photographers Rafael Gamo and Studiolandon capture the installation’s shifts throughout the day.
all images by Rafael Gamo unless stated otherwise
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Gregory Orekhov’s red line reinterprets the passage of time
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The project extends Orekhov’s ongoing exploration of linear form and spatial continuity. The red line serves as both a measurable element within the landscape and a marker of duration, a physical representation of passage across time and terrain. El Mirage also relates to the artist’s earlier installation Nowhere (2022), presented in Malevich Park, where a red line extended across a snow-covered forest. While both works share a formal simplicity, their contexts alter the perception of the gesture: in the forest, the line was a temporary trace fading into white; in the desert, it becomes a structural axis that defines orientation and presence. El Mirage positions the landscape itself as a central component of the composition. The installation bridges environmental observation and conceptual expression, reflecting on how a single line can redefine perception of distance, direction, and human relationship to space.
a one-kilometer red line stretches across the dry lakebed of El Mirage, California
the installation by Gregory Orekhov follows an east–west axis aligned with the sun’s path
the red polypropylene strip forms a geometric gesture across the cracked desert floor
a dialogue emerges between human scale and the expansive horizon