Tomorrowland has a missing painting on its hands. Two original artworks disappeared from the festival grounds in Boom, Belgium during Weekend 1 and only one has found its way back. The pieces, titled ‘Love’ and ‘Desire’, formed part of a six-piece collection commissioned specifically for this year’s Consciencia theme and displayed inside the Tomorrowland Restaurant.
Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad reports that organisers believe the pair was taken on July 19, the final day of the opening weekend despite security measures in the surrounding area. The remaining four canvases, ‘Wonder’, ‘Anger’, ‘Joy’ and ‘Sadness’, are still hanging.
Tomorrowland made a public appeal on July 21. It worked, at least partially. A couple handed ‘Love’ in to the Lab of Tomorrow, a workshop space in Boom associated with the festival. “A very honest couple came by with the Love artwork,” said Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen. “We appreciate that enormously.”
‘Desire’ has not turned up yet. The hope remains that it does.
Why These Paintings Matter
The artworks explores six universal emotions of Consciencia through artwork, architecture and storytelling. The theme is woven creative across the festival grounds, and the six commissioned paintings extend that concept into something visitors can experience beyond the stages of Tomorrowland. Each canvas represents one emotion. Remove two and the collection stops working as intended.
They also cannot be replaced. These were made for this edition, by commission, with a specific purpose. A generic print would defeat the point entirely.
Wilmsen also said that “It is a compliment that the artworks are appreciated, but it would be nice if the Consciencia paintings could shine for festival-goers a little longer during the second weekend.”
Ahead of Weekend 2
Tomorrowland will rehang ‘Love’ inside the restaurant with additional steps to secure the collection better before Weekend 2 opens on July 24.
The opening weekend delivered plenty. Calvin Harris played his first-ever Tomorrowland set. Charlotte de Witte made a surprise Mainstage appearance. FISHER closed with Avicii’s ‘Levels’. Fireworks were banned across Weekend 1 due to heat and drought conditions and the festival announced it is heading to Las Vegas next year.
Consciencia continues beyond Belgium too, travelling to Tomorrowland Thailand in December and Tomorrowland Brasil in 2027.
If you have seen ‘Desire’, Tomorrowland would very much like to hear from you.
