Cholla Thing

Cholla Thing brings together found metal, a cholla branch, oil paint, paper cup, and nylon string in a lean, eccentric assemblage made during Rachel Maxi’s residency at Joshua Tree Highlands.

The work feels improvised yet highly resolved, balancing the organic structure of desert cholla against weathered industrial material and flashes of color. Its wiry verticality and improbable construction give it the presence of a desert signal or improvised monument—rooted in the physical vocabulary of Joshua Tree while remaining unmistakably Maxi in its wit, material intelligence, and instinct for transformation.