Blue Bull

Blue Bull, three art projects and 215 people: the most epic year in Kurenivka's history.

215

people in camp, the biggest Kurenivka ever

art projects on the playa with the camp

two-story art car

The dream

A painting that drives

After 2024 several people came to Yaro and said: we love what you do, we want to back the next one. That was enough to try a long-held dream, an art car. It would be hard and expensive, so it had to be a shared cause. A small circle of founders came together to make it real.

The art car would be a figure by Maria Prymachenko. Mitya Zinovev, whose team had welded the Hedgehog Temple's frame, doubted the rights could be secured. Yaro wrote to the Prymachenko foundation, and they said yes, becoming partners in the project. Out of a handful of figures one was obvious: the Blue Bull, her best-known beast, psychedelic blue, like a blue fur coat in the desert. Artist Rostyslav Dudchenko brought it to life, and Mitya's team built it.

Front of the blue art car showing a red face with white eyes, grinning teeth and black horns, under storm clouds

Two people in long blue fur coats standing below the art car's large red face

The blue and red art car being assembled on the playa next to a green lift

A blue art car with a red bull head being assembled next to an RV on the playa

People on top of a large blue furry art car with a red bull head at sunset

A smiling group of campers in desert clothes

Wide view of a desert camp with tents, trucks and mountains behind

First ride

Total awe

The first time Blue Bull rolled across the playa, everyone turned around, filmed it and shouted. People were in total awe.

It was the biggest Kurenivka ever: 215 people, a stage on the Bull and performances by Benny Benassi, Ira8Kays, Alina Pash and Geizweirdo.

The art car lit in red and blue at night with performers on its deck

Side view of the blue art car with stacked speakers and people on its upper deck

Three art projects

Merman, Point of Unity, Lightning Tower

Merman, by Oleksii Tronchuk's team, had been chosen for an Honorarium back in 2020 and kept from the playa first by COVID, then by the war. In 2025 its team stayed in Kyiv, and Kurenivka assembled it for them.

Point of Unity by Mykola Kabluka went on to travel the world. Lightning Tower was built by an Italian Honorarium team who camped with Kurenivka.

A large sculpture of a human figure appearing to swim out of the playa surface, the blue art car in the distance

The partly buried figure sculpture under a dramatic gray sky

A large sculpture lit in white and purple on the dark playa at night

Photos: Merman, Point of Unity, Lightning Tower

“It was raining, everyone was hiding in their RVs. Benny Benassi said: let's play in the lounge. We carried the speakers through the puddles, and he played the whole night.”

Yaro Korets

The rain night

Benny Benassi in the lounge

One night a party on the Bull was washed out by rain. The Bull stayed parked on the playa, the camp walked back through the puddles, and everyone hid in their RVs. On the way Yaro ran into Benny Benassi: let's play in the lounge.

Yaro, Mamay and Pasha hauled speakers through the rain, the camp gathered, the neighbours came, and Benny played the whole night while it poured. The entire set was recorded.

Video: the rain-night set

Pendant 2025

Pendant of the year

The 2025 pendant. [Photo to find]

SoundCloud player

Track of the year

Chosen by Mamay. [Coming soon]

Effigy 2025

Effigy of the year

Every year, wherever Kurenivka was, something burned. [Photo of the figure and the burn]

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