The wilderness of America—its unruly flower meadows, great lakes and black caves— are bathed in a wash of surreal color in the euphoric images of New York photographer Ryan McGinley’s latest exhibition, Vertical Color of Sound, with naked models swirling in the midst of a Bacchanalian frenzy. “I like to photograph other artists. The people in my photos are always painters, dancers, poets, sculptors, and musicians,” says McGinley, whose new series is exhibited at Galerie Perrotin’s Chinese outpost, on the 17th floor of a Hong Kong skyscraper. “I only shoot at dawn and dusk to get soft light on the body and those pinks and purples in the sky.” Captured on McGinley’s annual three-month-long road trip, zigzagging through 30 states of majestic landscape, the images are set up with studio lights hiked into the outdoors. “My dream location is White Sands, New Mexico,” says McGinley, whose show coincides with Art Basel’s arrival in one of the world’s most densely populated cities. “When I’m barefoot on that white sand and I’ve got a interesting person to photograph, it feels like the most epic dream.”

How does everyone entertain themselves on the long trips?
Ryan McGinley: People who have large personalities will often keep the rest of us entertained. Everyone gets to cook their favorite dish. We listen to lots of music. We also try to go to old drive-in movie theaters in small American towns and see double features.

Your works often depict the joy of youth and the wonder of nature; do you think these two worlds have become too disconnected in our digital world?
RM: Yes, everyone is on their phones and doesn’t take the time to smell the roses. They are getting their dose of nature by looking at my photos on Instagram.

I’ve heard that everyone you shoot is tattooed afterwards, almost like a secret society?
RM: It’s a tradition on my cross-country journeys that most models get a little stick-and-poke tattoo to commemorate the trip but it’s not mandatory. It’s a nice way to remember the experience.

Vertical Color of Sound at Galerie Perrotin, Hong Kong runs from May 13 to June 21.