“You need to have an inquiring mind. You have to ask questions (…), not accept what is given, but say: “Why is it so?” And it is in that kind of asking that you begin to get behind some of the issues that allow the world appear the way it does. So if you just accept the world the way it is and don’t question it I can’t see how you can go far creatively.”
– Edward Burtynsky
Edward Burtynsky is known as one of Canada's most respected photographers. His remarkable photographic depictions of global industrial landscapes are included in the collections of over sixty major museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, the Tate Modern in London, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California.
Burtynsky was born in 1955 of Ukrainian heritage in St. Catharines, Ontario. He received his BAA in Photography/ Media Studies from Ryerson University in 1982, and in 1985 founded Toronto Image Works, a darkroom rental facility, custom photo laboratory, digital imaging and new media computer-training centre catering to all levels of Toronto's art community.
Early exposure to the sites and images of the General Motors plant in his hometown helped to formulate the development of his photographic work. His imagery explores the collective impact we as a species are having on the surface of the planet; an inspection of the human systems we've imposed onto natural landscapes. (From: www.edwardburtynsky.com )
World-renowned photographer EDWARD BURTYNSKY creates stunning photos—“reflecting pools of our time”—that explore large-scale social, political, and economic issues, including water, oil, and the upheaval caused by rapid industrialization and climate change. On stage, he talks about the connection between art and social transformation, human nature and consumption, and industry and environment.
“What took out the dinosaurs was a meteor impact … we, the human species, are now that impact. Humans are shifting the balance of the planet, and the choice rests within us to destroy it all, or not.”
— Edward Burtynsky, The New Yorker
Edward Burtynsky’s remarkable photographic depictions of global industrial landscapes are included in the collections of over fifty major museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His life and work are the subjects of the award-winning documentaries Watermark and Manufactured Landscapes, both directed by Jennifer Baichwal, as well as numerous magazine profiles, including The New Yorker. Watermark was awarded the $100,000 Best Canadian Film Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association. His exhibitions, which have all been published as books, include Residual Landscapes, Manufactured Landscapes, Before the Flood, China, Quarries, Australian Minescapes, Oil, and Water.
“I am not out to tell people a unitary story about what they should do to save the earth but, rather, to give people a picture of what it takes to live the way we do.”
— Edward Burtynsky, The New Yorker
Burtynsky’s photos explore the complicated link between industry and nature, combining the raw elements of mining, quarrying, manufacturing, shipping, oil production, and recycling into highly expressive visions that find beauty and humanity in the most unlikely of places. (from: The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau)
Note from jeanne: we went to see his photographic exhibit at Hamilton Art Gallery yesterday and found his images deeply moving and powerful. The exhibit is on until May 13th and well worth a visit. The blurb from AGH is below. Also, check out his Ted talk if you have a chance.
By starting and continuing a conversation about man's impact and the balance of our activities and their impact Edward Burtynsky is raising awareness of subjects that are too massive to even imagine until we see pictures.
Cheers and Happy Thursday!
Art Gallery of Hamilton
Acclaimed Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky brings environmental issues to our attention through awe-inspiring and often abstract images that document industrial sites. The photographs are a reflection of our times, and show the complex effects that global manufacturing, and the demands of first world consumers have on the planet. From aerial views of oil fields in Nigeria, to salt pans in India, to Italian Carrara marble quarries and nickel tailings in Sudbury, his stunning large-format photographs made over the past three decades bear sublime witness to the reality of current environmental issues. This exhibition celebrates a recent gift of 76 photographs donated by the artist to the AGH; the largest donation he has made to a museum.
Edward Burtynsky’s distinctions include the TED Prize and the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts. In 2006 he was awarded Officer of the Order of Canada and currently holds seven honorary doctorate degrees. Burtynsky lives and works in Toronto and is represented by Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto.
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