Lael Corbin

Artist Lael Corbin has long been interested in local winds as a physical force acting upon the landscape and his own body. During his travels across the region, Corbin defied the wind by blocking air currents with wooden panels and other objects. His bent sculptures testify to the potency and impact of natural phenomena, and his performative actions explore the intimate relationship between mind, body, and environment. Following his participation in the Erratic Fields Expedition in San Quintin, Baja California in 2020, the artist was invited to explore the Santa Ana Winds as a catalyst for new work. Since the 1900s, the Santa Ana winds have been recorded as devil winds that sweep across the region, ignite fires, and alter the human psyche due to their ionized particles. The “Santa Anas” have long been explored in literature and vernacular tales by authors such as Joan Didion and Raymond Chandler.

For his new project, Wrestling the Santa Ana Winds, Corbin researched the winds' political, social, and fictional aspects: from Western films, in which cowboys accentuate the roughness of the landscape, to folk tales of armor and battles, to the relationship between psychology and health and the natural world. Corbin traveled to various sites awaiting the seasonal winds, including off-sites in San Diego and Anza-Borrego. His new wearable sculptures, including masks, helmets, wings, and shields, were conceived by the artist for an otherworldly character created for this new piece. The final two-channel film will be presented in the Erratic Fields exhibition at Bread & Salt in March 2026.