ANDERS OVERGAARD:
Burning Man - Nothing Left Behind
September 27 - October 27, 2017
Anders Overgaard, The Man, 2017, C-Type, 70 x 60 inches, unique
Jason McCoy Gallery is pleased to present Burning Man – Nothing Left Behind, featuring a selection of photographs by Danish photographer and director Anders Overgaard that depict the famous annual festival set in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. The exhibition coincides with Overgaard’s release of his book of the same title: Nothing Left Behind (2017).
In 2013, Overgaard went to Burning Man on assignment, allowing him the rare opportunity to document the event. Lured in by the unique atmosphere of the place and its transient occupants, he began capturing “this roaring monster” of creativity, freedom and artistic expression. He quickly became immersed and aimed to witness, as well as render as much of the complexities of Burning Man as he could. The images he gathered depict individuals in all their mesmerizing selfinnovation, artworks at dusk, moments of celebration, burning structures, or the ash-covered grounds the morning after. Upon their review, Overgaard quickly realized that these photographs were unfit for any commercial assignment and instead, he assembled them in the book Nothing Left Behind. The photographs featured at Jason McCoy Gallery represent an exclusive selection of images documented in the book, yet printed large scale. In addition, they are either unique or in an edition of 3.
When assembling in the Black Rock Desert, Burning Man’s participants join in the effort to co-create Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis dedicated to art and community. Throughout the festival, they have an active role in the experience, which is guided by ten main principles: Radical Inclusion, Gifting, Decommodification, Radical Self-reliance, Radical Selfexpression, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Leaving no Trace, Participation, and Immediacy. First held in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function organized by Larry Harvey and a group of friends, it has since been held annually, spanning from the last Sunday in August to the first Monday in September.
Anders Overgaard is an internationally acclaimed photographer and director. Born in Helsingor, Denmark, he completed his education at the Copenhagen technical School of Photography in 1989 and moved to Paris the following year. There, he assisted the notable photographer Gilles Bensimon, among others. In 1990, he moved to New York to work with Bruce Weber, spending five years traveling with the latter. Since 1995, he has worked independently. His editorial contributions include The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Elle, Vogue, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, and Marie Claire magazines, among many others. He lives and works in New York City and Copenhagen.
