50 Shades of Green is an immersive and “experiential” art installation inspired by cannabis culture, formed by 50 layers of textile tinted in 50 variations that bring to light all the colors of the plant – not only the variations of green, but also tones that range from brown-yellow to blue-violet.

In addition to the visual and chromatic impact, the installation introduces an olfactory experience for visitors, as each layer and color is associated with the corresponding cannabis terpenes of the same “strain”. The installation consists of a tunnel of colors and smells in which visitors can immerse themselves physically, a stimulating environment and a visual, tactile, chromatic and olfactory experience.

Hemp has always been an inspiration for artists. With 50 Shades of Green Burningmax pays tribute to the plant that has inspired generations of artists, by elaborating and amplifying its perceptual aspects – color, smell and touch. “Smells like cannabis” and “green like weed” are actually (partially) stereotypes, given the abundant variety that mother nature and growers infuse in all the hemp variations in terms of colors and smells, among the various components. The artwork is a hemp / cannabis / weed / hemp-inspired art installation that celebrates “the plant” and its role and interaction with human society for thousands of years, for a wide variety of uses and applications.

Besides of cannabis culture, among the major art influences that inspired the artist for the 50 Shades of Green project are the Fushimi Inari-Taisha sanctuary in Kyoto, Japan, The Gates, the installation created by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in Central Park New York (also inspired by Fushimi Inari Taisha) and, more recently, the Forest of Numbers art installation created in Tokyo by french artist and Tokyo resident Emmanuelle Moureaux. So I guess it’s all about Japan – while cannabis consumption in Japan is still a severely punished crime. What a contradiction! But contemporary art is about contradictions, after all…

A final note, just to be clear about it. The best-seller book and blockbuster movie 50 Shades of Grey is not among the inspirations of the project. I didn’t read the book and I didn’t watch the movie, as I’m not interested in the kinky scene. I simply thought 50 Shades of Green was a great name for an art project, and I decided to go with it.

The installation consists of 50 layers of textile fabric measuring 3 meters in width by 4 meters in height, each colored with one of the colors identified among the various “strain” of hemp, and “scented” by the terpene of the corresponding plant.

The fabrics are cut and shaped as doors, to allow visitors to walk through the artwork; the 50 layers, hanging from the ceiling and placed at a distance of 50cm from each other, create a colorful scented tunnel of 25 meters in length.

The installation is flexible in terms of dimensions: by reducing to 30cm the space between the layers, the work can be “compressed” to a total length of 15 meters, while by installing the layers at 1mt distance from each other, the tunnel can “stretch” to reach a 50 meters length.

A couple hundred meters of stainless steel wire, anchored to the walls (or to the metal structure of the hosting venue) will hold the installation from above. More info on each part of the installation and on its production process will be highlighted in dedicated blog posts. Check the project blog for details.

The artist is currently planning a 2019-2020 exhibition tour for 50 Shades of Green to be showcased in 2019 and 2020 as art installation at the major cannabis industry trade shows and events in Italy and Europe.

 At the moment, the installation has already participated to Canapa Mundi 2019 (Rome, February 2019), Indica Sativa Trade 2019 (Bologna, April 2019), Canapa Mundi Lite (Rome, June 2019), and Salone Internazionale della Canapa 2019 (Milan, September 2019).

More participations of 50 Shades of Green to further trade shows and events will be announced soon,

At the end of the 2019-2020 exhibition tour, 50 Shades of Green will be probably exhibited at a major European contemporary art gallery, then the installation will be donated to the Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum, now also technical partner of the 50 Shades of Green project. The Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum will include the artwork in their permanent collection, and will showcase the installation at one of their museums in Amsterdam and Barcelona. Follow the project blog for details and updates.

Here are the latest updates from the project, including production details and info, stories and photo/video galleries from the upcoming 50 Shades of Green exhibition tour.

50 Shades of Green is an art installation project by Massimo Burgio, an eclectic Italian artist who creatively expressed himself from the late 80s with various mediums, from photography to electronic music production, to contemporary art.

In particular, in the last 20+ years, Massimo has worked on several large-scale art installation projects designed to fit the environment (land art) or indoor exhibition spaces. Starting in 2003, Massimo has developed various installation projects also for the Burning Man creative community events, working on several individual and collective projects. Over the past 15 years the influence and inspiration of Burning Man has been so decisive for Massimo on both art and music, that led him to adopt the nickname Burningmax.

Among the latest art installations projects by Massimo are the intervention in the Spanish Civil War trenches where George Orwell fought (Homenage to Monegros, 2017), the site-specific installation for the CDAN Museum in Huesca, Spain (Homenage to Aragon, 2017), and the recent land art installations in Pozzuoli (Naples) for the XIV edition of Land Art Campi Flegrei (Apelle, 2018), and in the Tuscan woods for an Italian event of the Burning Man community (The Zone, 2018). Find more details at the Burningmax website, with an entire section dedicated to Massimo Burgio’s art projects.

50 Shades of Green is an art project and, for the way the artist envisions artistic expression, it is not a commercial operation. The installation will not be exposed for sale purposes, and the artist doesn’t ask for personal compensations for the creation and presentation of the work.

The production cost of the artwork gravitated over 8,000 €, and the project wouldn’t have seen the light without the support of sponsors, technical partners, volunteers and friends.

Thank you to the project’s sponsors, the trade shows who have supported the project not only by hosting and promoting it at their events, but also by taking at their charge all costs related to transportation and installation of the artwork at their event locations – and this is besides offering a small but helpful financial contribution to the production costs. Thank you to the project’s sponsors Canapa Mundi and Indica Sativa Trade. Thank you also to Milan’s sponsors, who have covered shipping and travel costs for the participation of the installation at Salone Internazionale della Canapa: CBD Good and Claso. For more info the project’s supporters, check the press releases and the articles from the project blog.

Another big thank you goes to the project’s technical partners. In primis, Cali Terpenes, who is supporting 50 Shades of Green with one of the key materials, the cannabis terpenes. Cali Terpenes, based in Barcelona, is the major european producer of cannabis terpenes, with a wide selection of scents in their product catalogue. Besides of providing the terpenes needed for the entire 2019-2020 tour, Cali Terpenes is also supporting the project by offering technical advice on how to get the most out of their products when working with fabrics and textiles, and is following closely the production, while keeping offering advice.

Big thank you also to CANNA Marketing, a Rome-based online marketing agency dedicated to the support of clients in the hemp and cannabis industry. CANNA Marketing has supported the project by offering this website, and keep supporting it by taking care of all communication needs such as press releases and media relations.

The latest technical partner that joined the project is the Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum, as the museum accepted 50 Shades of Green as a donation to their permanent collection at the end of the exhibition tour. The Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum will also showcase the art installation at one of their museum locations in Amsterdam and Barcelona, and will support the communication of the project during the exhibition tour. Dank u zeer! Thank you very much!

On the media partners side, 50 Shades of Green is proudly supported by BeLeaf Magazine, the Italian magazine about cannabis culture, who will follow the project for the entire exhibition tour. Other media partnership with major European and international cannabis culture magazines will be announced soon, so watch this space, and the project blog where the partnerships will be announced!

More technical advice, emotional support and physical work has been offered by a number of friends and volunteers, who will be soon listed in upcoming blog posts. Stay tuned for details.

A special thank you goes to Villaggio Globale in Rome, an anti-prohibitionist social center and autonomous zone which has offered an artist’s residence for the production of the project – for the second time this year. Thank you also to the Rome-based contemporary art gallery Studio Stefania Miscetti, who also offered their gallery space for some of the production work of the art installation.

Please find here below all the press releases sent to communicate the various steps of the 50 Shades of Green project. More press releases will be published and made available for download, so watch this space! For articles where media outlets talk about 50 Shades of Green, please see the project blog.

CANAPA MUNDI – ROME, february 2019
50 Shades of Green at Canapa Mundi 2019 (download press release in English)
50 Shades of Green a Canapa Mundi 2019 (scarica comunicato stampa in Italiano)
50 Shades of Green en Canapa Mundi 2019 (bajar nota de prensa en Español)

INDICA SATIVA TRADE – BOLOGNA, april 2019
50 Shades of Green at Indica Sativa Trade 2019 (download press release in English)
50 Shades of Green a Indica Sativa Trade 2019 (scarica comunicato stampa in Italiano)
50 Shades of Green en Indica Sativa Trade 2019 (bajar nota de prensa en Español)

CANAPA MUNDI LITE – ROME, june 2019
50 Shades of Green at Canapa Mundi 2019 (download press release in English)
50 Shades of Green at Canapa Mundi 2019 (scarica comunicato stampa in Italiano)

SALONE INTERNAZIONALE DELLA CANAPA – MILAN, september 2019
50 Shades of Green at Salone Internazionale della Canapa 2019 (download press release in English)
50 Shades of Green at Salone Internazionale della Canapa 2019 (scarica comunicato stampa in Italiano)

Do you want to book the installation for a cannabis trade show or event everywhere around the world? Sure!

There will be no request for artist fee, and if your organization takes charge of transportation costs (from Rome, Italy, and back at the end of the event) and offers travel and accommodation for the artist, 50 Shades of Green will be on its way to your event in no time. Just get in touch and let’s start planning it!

Need to get in touch? Shoot me an email at burningmax@gmail.com, or get in touch via phone, whatsapp, facetime, etc at +39 339 8944088. Follow the project on Instagram, and share this website on your favorite social networks.