HYBYCOZO

Meet the Artists of No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man

A picture of three sculpture pieces that light up and fill a room with shapes and shadows.

Gallery view of Hybycozo (Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu). Photo by Ron Blunt. 

On view from March 30, 2018 to January 21, 2019
An image of HYBYCOZO's piece in the golden triangle district of D.C.

HYBYCOZO, Golden Spike. Photo by Jeff Song.

In their work, Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu, the artist duo behind art and design studio HYBYCOZO, investigate the influences of mathematics and geometry in the history of artwork, and human evolution, as well as the interconnections among contemporary physics, biological patterns, and ancient craft. Using advanced manufacturing and prototyping technology, their works generate tension between hard geometric surfaces and soft interior illumination, promoting a sense of contemplation and awe of the inherent beauty of universal forms.

In 2014, the duo brought their first collaborative installation, Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone (HYBYCOZO), to playa—three steel polyhedral sculptures that, by day appear solid and, at night, cast otherworldly patterns of light and shadow on the surrounding earth. Soon after, they took the name HYBYCOZO for their continued collaboration, focusing on installations that reflect patterns drawn from mathematics, science, nature, and culture. The moniker comes from Douglas Adams’s classic sci-fi novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, for which the artists share an affinity, and the titles of several subsequent works by the pair are drawn from that same source.

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.

Meet the Artists