Sarbalé Ke Celebration and Ribbon Cutting

INDIO, CALIFORNIA (April 15, 2022) – The City of Indio is celebrating the installation of ‘Sarbalé Ke,’ with a ribbon cutting and reception at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 20 at Dr. Carreon Park. The commemoration of this event, supported by the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce, will coincide with the opening of the 2022 Mobius Conference, of which Sarbalé Ke artist Francis Kéré participated in 2019.

A series of towers originally installed at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Sarbalé Ke means ‘House of Celebration.’ Nine towers were acquired by the City of Indio as a long-term loan from Goldenvoice, and relocated to Dr. Carreon Park in late 2021. The soaring structures range in height from nine to 49 feet tall, and reference the baobab trees that claim a remarkable and dominant presence in the artist Kéré’s native West African village of Gando, Burkina Faso. The joyful colors and deep shadows provide valuable shaded spaces, similar to the baobab trees, and exude the same welcoming appeal.

Kéré is an artist, architect and educator based in Berlin, Germany. He is the recipient of the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The Pritzker is considered the most prestigious honor in the field of architecture, and Kéré is the first Black recipient of this award. He is also the founder of the Kéré Foundation, which serves the inhabitants of Gando through the development of projects, partnerships and fundraising, and the founder of Kéré Architecture.