Burning Man: Art on Fire is a beautiful book that celebrates the art and history of Burning Man in Nevada. I'd heard about the 'experience' and was curious to learn more, as much as possible without going to it anyway. It's full of gorgeous photos and interesting essays that explore the meaning and impact of this unique art event. If you're interested in Burning Man or in the power of art to transform people's lives, it's a good book.

If you've ever dreamed of seeing the super cool art at Burning Man, but didn't want to brave the trip and/or the desert heat, here's your opportunity to check out the amazing installations without ever leaving your comfiest chair, or getting sand in your sneakers.
Here, thanks to over 150 stunning photos, you'll see an awesome collection of the best of Burning Man from over two decades.

This book really needs to be seen to be believed!

A showcase of creativity – Big! Loud! Explosive! It’s very inspiring. Makes you want to dig around in the various bits and pieces around and put some together and it’s perfectly fine if it’s small and only for yourself. Actually this book is more than the photographs. Raiser is a veteran participant in Burning Man and explains a great deal about the gathering, its ethos and it’s participants. It led me to a better understanding of the event, but to be honest it’s the wonder of the constructions that is the main draw for me. Thanks to Becker & mayer! of the Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for a digital review copy.

Absolutely beautiful book, I would love to visit. We were lucky enough to have some of the sculptures come to Chatsworth, so we got to see the scale of them.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I’d heard of Burning Man, my only real take being that it’s a wild gathering where anything goes, and then they burn a large effigy of a man. Well, after working my way through this book I can confirm that I was on the right lines, but selling the whole thing short. Way short.

The week-long event takes place every year in the desert at Black Rock, north of Nevada. Attendees are asked to abide by the festival’s principals, which include a call to get involved, be self-reliant and, when it’s all over, to leave no trace that you were ever there. This book explores the background and the aims of Burning Man but the key element here is the art that’s been on display over the years. Much of it is huge, wildly imaginative and sometimes absurd. And more often than not the photographs show people climbing all over the pieces, as attendees are invited to ‘come and play’ with the exhibits.

For me this book achieved two things:

1. I was prompted to undertake further research into the festival as a result of what I saw and read here: in combination it exploded my perception that this is just a wild, uncontrolled party. Yes, shirts are optional, but at its heart it is highly organised and the ethos here is to explore, to discover, to experience and then to clean up and go home, leaving the desert as you found it.

2. I found sight of the art on display (the photographs are superb) mind boggling. The scale of much of it defies logic – how did they ever transport it out to this wildly remote place? I gained a new appreciation of how art can fire the imagination and stimulate creativity in those who see it and experience it.

I want to go to Burning Man! I am fascinated by Burning Man and I am determined to go there. I read this book because I wanted to know more. This book positions Burning Man as an art festival which it is but it is also so much more.

It is also a place of community and creativity and the book manages to capture that. It illustrates all of that with the photographs which are excellent and very dramatic. They provide an opportunity for all of us to interact with the artwork. Of course we are not there in the desert, but we can still enjoy the artwork and plan to be in the desert some time soon.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Visiting the Burning Man is on my bucket list and this book was a good way to learn more about this fascinating event.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Ever since my adult children visited Burning Man I have been interested in the "behind the scenes" festivities. This book has wonderful pictures and descriptions that span many years of Burning Man. I already know that I will be buying the actual book as a gift for my children. If you have ever had any interest in the Burning Man culture (and it is its own culture) you cannot fail to like this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC. This review is in my own words.

I‘ve always been amazed by the concept of the Burning Man and especially the dedication of the artists. Spending so much time and effort to create huge mostly interactive art pieces that are just made for this very moment is absolutely fascinating. I also loved to read about the history and spirit of the whole festival. Mostly I just looked at the pictures of all those stunning works of art and still hope that one day I’ll be able to experience it all in person. Wonderful and very inspiring book, absolutely recommend!

I mostly paged through this for the gorgeous gorgeous pictures of large-scale public art, and it reminded me how much I want to go to Burning Man one day (I go to art galleries in every city I visit; so, a pre-existing lover of art). The mythology of Burning Man, however, is more than a little suspect to me, a little too close to religion, and the text of the book hews close to this.

This, though, is a wonderful book, managing to encapsulate what is so unique and amazing about Black Rock City and Burning Man, and covering the mythos, history and aims. Highly recommended.

I learned a lot about Burning Man while looking at all of the awesome art that is displayed yearly at the event. It's awesome to see the spirit of community and art that takes place.

A very comprehensive story of Burning Man, filled with exciting photos that certainly remind me how I once vowed to attend. In hardback this would make a great gift for anyone wanting to relieve old memories and plan a trip.

This is so cool. I've had preconceived notions about what Burning Man was, but I never realized that Burning Man was a brilliant collection of art against the coolest landscape imaginable. I'm all in on this book, it's brilliant photography, and it has convinced me I need to attend Burning Man in the future. Amazing work by everyone who collaborated on this book.

You'd be forgiven for forgetting that there's more to Burning Man that a bunch of tech nerds playing weird steampunk / fairy / cultural appropriation cosplay and filling your social media with their smug faces. However, this book serves as a great reminder that there's some incredible art that fills the Playa each year in Black Rock City.
Beautifully photographed, with minimal gurning narcissists included, this is everything that Burning Man should be about - inspiration, reflection, creativity and beauty. It details the ethos of the festival, its humble beginnings on Baker Beach in SF, to the globe-spanning series of events that it has now morphed into, most notable of which is the annual pilgrimage to the desert for the Burners.
The stunning images are accompanied by select artist profiles, and details on how these huge pieces of art are created and transported to the Playa each year, which ones gets burned, what happens to those that don't, how they are funded, etc etc. It's a fascinating peek behind Oz's curtain, and an oft-unexpected reminder of just how culturally significant those few days in the desert are each year, and how for many they are the culmination of months / years of creative thought and construction.
Whether you're a seasoned Burner or a heat/dust-averse art enthusiast, there's plenty of amazing content here to enjoy. A beautiful coffee table book that you'll keep going back to revisit.

I’ve been told a few times over the years that I need to go to Burning Man, and that there’s so much art there. Realistically, this book is likely the closest I’ll ever get to attending. I prefer my sand in the form of a beach on the ocean- a nice place to sit and relax with a good book as the waves roll in. But I digress. This is a beautiful coffee table book, and a fascinating window into a community bursting with more creativity than I’d ever imagined.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful pictures of beautiful art in the middle of nowhere. I’ve heard about burning man years ago, but I’ve never been. The time and effort that the artists put into this is amazing. I love the back stories as well.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy