About
Rebekah Waites is a Los Angeles–based multidisciplinary artist whose large-scale installations and mixed-media works challenge societal conventions and invite audiences to step outside their comfort zones. Drawing on themes of religion, mental health, and gender, her work transforms reclaimed and unconventional materials—ranging from rope and steel to fire and capsules—into layered, participatory experiences. Through humor, irony, and immersive environments, Waites creates spaces where viewers can safely and playfully confront difficult truths while celebrating the beauty and contradictions of human experience.
Education
2002 BA Fine Art, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Awards & Grants
2024 Burning Man Honorarium Art Grant Recipient
2024 Something Queer Art Grant Recipient
2023 Something Queer Art Grant Recipient
2021 Everywhen Project Art Grant Recipient
2018 Burning Man Honorarium Art Grant Recipient
2018 All Of Us Art Grant Recipient
2015 Burning Man Honorarium Art Grant Recipient
2015 Necklace Factory Artist Award
2013 Burning Man Honorarium Art Grant Recipient
2013 Necklace Factory Artist Award
Solo Exhibitions
2013 Questions of Sapience, The Haggus Society Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2012 Retrospective, Dysonna City Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2009 In Your Hands, Sipology Gallery, Long Beach, CA, USA
Group Exhibitions
2025 Art Attack, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA, USA
2024 Spectrum Gestalt, BG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA
2024 Are You Comfy, Third Place Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA, USA
2023 Nomad II, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA, USA
2023 Spectrum Gestalt, BG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA
2023 Made In California, Brea Art Gallery, Brea, CA, USA
2022 Radical Horizons: The Art Of Burning Man at Chatsworth, Bakewell, UK
2021 Boundless Space Auction, Sotheby’s, NYC, New York, USA
2021 Get Off The Couch, Suite E Studios Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2019 2019 Open Show, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2019 Pulse of LA 219, SOLA Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2018 iRobot, Burning Man Festival, Black Rock City, NV, USA
2015 Carnival of Mirrors, Burning Man Festival, Black Rock City, NV, USA
2015 144 Group Show, Bleicher/Golightly Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA
2014 Art By The Bay, The Drever Family Estate, Tiburon, CA, USA
2013 Cargo Cult, Burning Man Festival, Black Rock City, NV, USA
2013 The Sky Is Falling, Fold Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2012 Alchemy Art Show, Dysonna City Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2011 Auction by the Bay, Bleicher/Golightly Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA
2011 Ground Control, SubSpace Art Gallery, Culver City, CA, USA
2010 LA Art Winter 2010 Fundraiser, First and Hope, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2010 A Dozen Local Artists, Buy Art Studios, Long Beach, CA, USA
2009 One Night Only, Gallery 016, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2009 The Life Group LA Charity Show, Sipology Gallerie,Long Beach, CA, USA
2009 Get Your Heart In The Game, Lahoda Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2007 Group Art Show, The Hive Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Public Exhibitions
2018 San Francisco Burning Man Decompression, San Francisco, CA, USA
2018 Los Angeles Burning Man Decompression, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2015 The Church Trap Organ, Permanent Collection, Burning Man Headquarters, San Francisco, CA, USA
2014 The Church Trap Organ, Spring Tower Mezzanine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2013 The Church Trap Organ, Long Beach Soundwalk Festival, Long Beach, CA, USA
Grant Committee Chair/Art Association Membership
2025 Something Queer Art Curator Committee Chair
2016 Los Angeles Art Association Member
2015 Burning Man Global Arts Grants Committee - Professional Artist Chair
2016 Burning Man Global Arts Grants Committee - Professional Artist Chair
PRESS
“NK Guy: Art of Burning Man,” NK Guy, Taschen (August 20, 2015)
“Cargo Cult” by Photographer Karen Kuehn (2014)
“Burning Man – The World’s Biggest Playground” by Peter Armenia
https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/things-to-do/burning-man-exhibition-chatsworth-9141476
https://www.visitderby.co.uk/whats-on/events/radical-horizons-celebratory-burn
https://www.marketingderby.co.uk/news/chatsworth-sculptures-light-creative-fire-in-schoolchildren/
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/new-burning-man-sculpture-chatsworth-7498362
https://www.vogue.com/article/burning-man-chatsworth
https://www.sothebys.com/en/digital-catalogues/radical-horizons-the-art-of-burning-man-at-chatsworth
https://artzealous.com/our-10-favorite-art-installations-from-burning-man-2018/
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-burning-man-artists-15-years-anticipated-artworks
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/pictures/burning-man-2013-the-scene-20130905
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/burning-man-art_n_3932349.html
http://ignitechannel.com/articles/artist-interviews/artist-interview-with-the-church-trap-crew/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/09/photos-of-burning-man-2013/100584/
Television & Film
2014 “Saved? Church Trap Documentary”, Experience Media, Dir. John Senften
2014 “From Sand To Ashes”, IMAX 3D Film, Dir. Arnaud Paris
http://sandtoashesmovie.com/about
2014 Charlie Rose interview with Burning Man founder Larry Harvey
http://www.charlierose.com/watch/6036316