Published to accompany the book:
Römer + Römer: Burning Man / Electric Sky

Römer + Römer are well-known for their unique position in painting. Nina Römer (born as Nina Tangian in Moscow in 1978) and Torsten Römer (born in Aachen in 1968) met while studying painting at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Their joint works often focus on big cultural events where people come together to experience moments of transcendence. In 2017, the Berlin artist couple traveled to Nevada to take part in the Burning Man event.

What began as a small bonfire in 1986 has evolved into a cultural phenomenon of epic dimensions that attracts around 70,000 people to the Black Rock Desert every year. The scene is set at Black Rock City, a temporary city that exists only for eight days. The event, which features hundreds of interactive art installations, art cars, and performances, culminates in the burning of the “Man,” a 40-feet tall effigy that is the centerpiece of the celebration.

The two artists selected some of their photos of the event and used them to create a series of large-format paintings that strikingly capture the desert festival’s carnivalesque spirit and nighttime scenery with fire and artificial lights. Broken down into single color dots and fields, the motifs regain their shape only in the viewer’s mind.