Scott Froschauer, Infinite Clearance. Photo by Scott Froschauer.
On view from March 30, 2018 to September 16, 2018
Designed to be experienced firsthand, Scott Froschauer’s work explores new means of communication, and often carries a political message. In 2013, an interaction on playa with Burning Man founder Larry Harvey inspired his most recent project, The Word on the Street. Froschauer employs a strategy akin to “culture jamming,” a practice of using familiar elements of the urban environment such as commercial advertising (or in this case, DOT signs) to offer social critique. By transforming the messages on these street signs from prohibitive to life-affirming or comic language, Froschauer seeks to spread Burning Man’s Ten Principles while inciting people to look for magic in the world around them.
In addition to his solo projects, Froschauer has worked with renowned artists such as Lauren Bon, James Peterson, and Marcos Lutyens and has fabricated several prominent installations presented at Burning Man, including MÚCARO (2017) designed by artist El NiNo, and Church Trap (2013) designed by Rebekah Waites, which became one of the most iconic works to ever appear at the event. Froschauer received his B.A. in Theoretical Linguistics from Syracuse University in 1994 and has been creating art for Burning Man since the early 2000s.
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man brings the large-scale, participatory work from this desert gathering to the nation’s capital for the first time. The exhibition takes over the entire Renwick Gallery building and surrounding Golden Triangle neighborhood, bringing alive the maker culture and creative spirit of this cultural movement.