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On Thursday, August 31, the Burning Man contemporary art festival presented a Ukrainian sculpture by artists Oleksiy Say and Dana Kosmina. A symbolic burning ritual was held before the official opening.

At night, a unique performance took place on the territory of the Burning Man festival - a Ukrainian creative team burned a wooden box hiding a sculpture. This was an exceptional event, as it was the first time that the festival organizers were allowed to burn something else, unlike the traditional ritual of burning a wooden human figure on the final day of the festival.

According to the concept developed by the authors of the Ukrainian installation, the fire not only accompanied the opening of the work, but also played a key role in shaping its final appearance, influencing the shape and shades of the sculpture. After the burning ritual was completed, the artwork titled "Phoenix" appeared in front of the audience. Depending on the angle, the sculpture resembles either a mythical bird that, according to legend, is reborn from the ashes or the national symbol of Ukraine, the trident.

"It's about Ukrainians and Ukraine, which rise from the ashes every time. This is not a complicated artwork that needs to be solved and interpreted. This is a monumental eight-meter high structure - it should be readable and understandable at once," said Oleksiy Say. "For us, fire is not only a symbol of destruction, but also of rebirth. It embodies the life cycle, the beginning and the end, death and rebirth," said Oleksiy Say, "Through this ritual we tried to show not only the beauty of the form, but also the deeper meaning that the Phoenix carries as a symbol of rebirth and the endlessness of life."

When creating this extraordinary art object, Oleksiy was greatly assisted by the artist Dana Kosmina, as well as the GogolFest team, which is famous for its innovative and experimental projects in the field of contemporary art.

The performance of burning the installation could be watched online via a Facebook broadcast. The project was initiated by Vitaliy Deynega, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine and founder of the Come Back Alive Charitable Foundation. His page on the social network gathered a large audience that could see with their own eyes how the unique sculpture was "born" from the flames

The authors of the work emphasize that its task is to rethink the perception of Ukraine in the world. The sculpture offers a two-level perception: on the first level, it reflects the unbreakable struggle of the Armed Forces and Ukrainians, and on the second level, it touches upon personal stories and tragedies related to Russian aggression.

At the Black Rock Desert Festival in Nevada, which will last until September 4, you can see another Ukrainian installation - a memorial sculpture called the Temple of the Hedgehog. This art object was created in honor of Ukrainians who became victims of the war. This project was presented by a Ukrainian team of Burning Man fans called Kurenivka Camp.

Photo by: @press service of Stroom Art