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The project's authors describe HERO ARMOR as a symbolic sculpture about memory, inner strength and the human capacity to carry forward the stories of those who are no longer present.
The sculpture has a personal origin story. In 2025, HERO ARMOR's creator, Liza Kormilets, brought a photograph of her cousin, Zakhar Zakharov, to Burning Man's Temple. Zakharov was a Ukrainian 3D artist who volunteered to defend Ukraine in the first days of the full-scale invasion and did not return. The photograph also included one of his digital works — an image of a futuristic warrior he had created before the full-scale war began. After returning from the festival, Kormilets conceived the idea of transforming her cousin's digital artwork into a physical art installation for Burning Man.
She was helped in realizing the project by her friend Marcel, who suggested 3D-printing the sculpture's components, as well as by her father, architect Volodymyr Kormilets, and her brother, 3D artist Oleg Kormilets.
The sculpture recreates Zakharov's image of a futuristic defender in blue and yellow, Ukraine's national colors. It represents the inner armor a person finds within themselves while protecting others, working through loss, or continuing to live while honoring the memory of loved ones.
The project's creators said HERO ARMOR is dedicated to all Ukrainians who have taken up the defense of their country, while also speaking to the strength of those who carry their stories forward and to the support that allows a personal vision to become a shared endeavor.
Read also: Ukrainian team unveils new sculpture at Burning Man 2025
The team also partnered with the UNBROKEN rehabilitation center in Lviv.
Read also: From the artifacts of war: Powerful Ukrainian installation ‘I’m Fine’ at Burning Man 2024
Burning Man 2026 will take place in Nevada's Black Rock Desert from Aug. 30 to Sept. 7. This year's festival theme, "Axis Mundi," symbolizes the connections between people, communities, nature, and shared reality.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Life
Author: Богуслав Романенко
