Since the Burning Man festivities were brought to a screeching halt in 2020, one man is keeping the festival’s spirit alive by featuring a number of its awe-inspiring sculptures with a new art complex called “Area 15.”
The mysterious Las Vegas bunker opened in the desert last week as the brainchild of Michael Beneville, a 10-year Burning Man veteran whose dream was to bring the ineffable communal spirit of the festival to the outside world. “Burning Man is its own very special thing,” Beneville told Artnet News during a virtual tour last week. “It’s 68,000 of the most creative people on the planet coming together to build something that’s just extraordinary. I’m humble enough to know that we would never try to recreate Burning Man.”
Art Island
Peter Ruprecht
Five years in the making, “Area 15” will not only be home to artwork from previous editions of the beloved gathering, but will also host festival boutiques. Beneville shared his inspiration behind the exhibit, stating that the art “shouldn’t sit in a warehouse.” In 2021, attendees can expect to see a special installation from Santa Fe art collective Meow Wolf. Art pieces featured at the complex will also be commercially available to real estate developers, municipalities, and any others who are interested.
Portal
Peter Ruprecht
The Burning Man Project recently reinvented itself for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, giving fans the chance to experience it virtually with the Burning Man Mutlitverse. Attendees were able to create avatars and explore a virtual version of the iconic Black Rock City landscape, traversing a digital recreation of the playa in full 3D.
Peter Ruprecht
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