Art World
Tech Nerds and Flashy Art at Burning Man
Can this year's art measure up to these highlights from years past?
Can this year's art measure up to these highlights from years past?
Christie Chu ShareShare This Article
Year after year, die-hard loyalists have made the pilgrimage to Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada to attend the famous week-long extravaganza known as Burning Man. The perception of the desert festival brings to mind stoned hippie-dippies who don’t like showering but love techno music. However, over the past two years, the demographic has drastically changed, much to the chagrin of longtime Burners, ushering a new era of tech start-up millionaire and billionaire attendees, reports the New York Times.
Either way, art is very much a part of the experience. A place where nothing is for sale (only coffee and ice can be bought), greed is not good, and drugs are everywhere (though technically illegal), Burning Man creates an otherworldly space in time. Each year, organizers welcome artists to make all kinds of structures for the grounds. Burning Man art installations seek to promote a visual culture for everyone—or at least everyone who makes the trip out to the Black Rock desert—to enjoy.
Though this year’s festivities have been delayed by a rare slew of rainstorms, artnet News decided to collect some of the wildest (or trippiest) art installations from Burning Man’s past.