On 31 August, Ukraine unveiled two installations – “Hedgehog’s Temple” and “Ukrainian Phoenix” at the Burning Man 2023, the details of which were kept secret for several months.

To intrigue visitors of the festival held annually in the Black Rock Desert, a Ukrainian team of designers concealed its 8-meter-high Phoenix behind a box which was eventually burnt.

“A Ukrainian sculpture born from fire … It’s about Ukraine and each of us. How we’ve become stronger than ever,” wrote Vitalii Deynega, the founder of the “Return Alive” foundation and Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, on his Facebook page.

The Phoenix sculpture for Burning Man was created by Ukrainian artists – painter Oleksii Say and architect Dana Kosmina. The installation symbolizes the unity and unwavering Ukrainian spirit.

Another installation from Ukraine – “Hedgehog’s Temple” at the Burning Man 2023 serves as a memorial commemorating Ukrainians killed in the Russian war.

It consists of the stories of deceased artists, performers, musicians, and other individuals in the arts written on the sculpture. They were collected by their close friends and relatives, who wanted to remind the world that the war was going on.