We are not known for our love of hippies, but even we have to admit that there is something fascinating about Venice, California-based photographer John Kilar‘s Welcome Home series, which appears to document a festival that gathered bohemians of all ages in a beautiful outdoor setting. We see members of this 21st-century tribe lost in group trances, frolicking naked in the mud, and relaxing atop a school bus bearing a cardboard sign that advertises “blotter art.” Some of the photos may make you chuckle, especially if you’re skeptical of all things New Age and yoga-related, but the overwhelming feeling they impart is one of serenity and peacefulness. Although, as Beautiful/Decay notes, there’s isn’t much background available on Kilar, these themes are evident throughout the work on his website, from a series of Burning Man shots to Vanilla Sky, a collection of powerful sunset images. Click through to see our favorite pieces from Welcome Home.
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar
Photo credit: John Kilar