Burning Man Art Installation 2025: Black Cloud
In 2025, Nova Ukraine proudly supported the international logistics of Black Cloud, a powerful multimedia installation created by Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Sai and produced by Vitaliy Deynega, founder of Ukrainian Witness. Originally unveiled in Kyiv’s Sophia Square, the installation will be transported to Black Rock Desert in Nevada for exhibition at Burning Man 2025, with support from Nova Ukraine and festival grant funding.
The large-scale sculpture—measuring 30 meters long, 17 meters wide, and 15 meters high—resembles a storm cloud drawn by a child: simple in form, yet deeply unsettling in meaning. Built from 4 kilometers of black fabric and composed of 45 interconnected cloud structures, Black Cloud periodically comes alive with bursts of lightning and thunder.
Its soundscape, designed by Ukrainian drum-and-bass producer Involver (formerly VovKING), incorporates real recordings from war-torn Zaporizhzhia by musician Denys Vasyliev. The piece features authentic sounds of shelling, drones, and explosions—documented evidence of Russia’s war crimes. Together with light and movement, the installation became an immersive warning: a visceral reminder that the threat of destruction is not limited to Ukraine.
Burning Man Art Installation 2019: Catharsis
Catharsis – http://www.mycatharsis.art
For 2019 Burning Man, Nova Ukraine supported a group of Ukrainian artists from Seattle who brought an art installation called Catharsis to Burning Man. Catharsis represents the stage after internal changes happened and we are overflown with emotions. It is the release of all those feelings, it’s the step that is freeing us before we are ready to take on new challenges. Twelve volunteers (of which 11 were originally Ukrainian and 1 American) built an 11 feet tall and 16 feet wide art installation.
Mark Tremback is the lead architect of the structure, while Marina Malyarenko is the artist who paints the butterfly in Petrykivka design. Aly (Alyona) Owens is the team lead and project visionary. Oleksy Ohurtsov is the movie director and records our team journey from the birth of the idea all the way to the desert.
The installation also includes a 3D heart and LED lighting as well as dark lighting. Many people have volunteered and donated to the project their time and by donating, attending our events.
This piece of art binds together a large team of artists who were born and raised in Ukraine but found each other in Seattle, WA.
Gofundme campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/catharsis-art-installation
Burning Man Art – 2018
Nova Ukraine, together with Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco, are proud to be the partners of Ukrainian Burning Man this year in helping bring one of the Ukrainian art installations “Sorry”, by Oleksiy Sai to the Burning Man.
Nova Ukraine volunteers were responsible for logistics and gathering necessary materials for the installation. This year marked an impressive shift in Ukrainian government as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has funded a portion of the installation. An additional help came from fundraising through friends and the community in Ukraine and internationally. For the first time in 27 years, the Ukrainian government has funded two installations created by Ukrainian artists that made it to the world-renowned festival, Burning Man. This is a tremendous change and a great exposure to Ukrainian art in the international arena.
The work of Alexandra Stepanenko have gotten great reviews and they hope that such support from the government will become a normal practice to allow more Ukrainian artists to show their work.
