Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky is fascinated by the subject of the topographical landscape as it has been irrevocably altered by industries that feed the world’s appetite for material goods. Burtynsky finds both beauty and repulsiveness in his depictions of mining, manufacturing, consumption, waste disposal and recycling. Rather than simply decry the human scarring of the land, he acknowledges the conflict between the human need for economic growth and the value of protecting our fragile ecosystem. The 15 photographs in this exhibition show the beauty and ugliness of landscapes that have been altered by human industry.
Edward Burtynsky: The Industrial Sublime is organized by the Frist Art Museum, Weber State University, and the University of Wyoming Art Museum.
Exhibition Sponsor: Morgan Keegan/Raymond James
Exhibition gallery
Edward Burtynsky. Nickel Tailings No. 30, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, 1996. Digital chromogenic color print, 38 1/2 x 60 in. Courtesy of the artist
Edward Burtynsky. Manufacturing #17, Deda Chicken Processing Plant, Dehui City, Jilin Province, 2005. Digital chromogenic color print, 40 x 60 in. Courtesy of the artist
Edward Burtynsky. Silver Lake Operations # 1, Lake Lefroy, Western Australia, 2007. Photograph, 39 x 49 in. Photo © Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Nicholas Metivier, Toronto / Howard Greenberg & Bryce Wolkowitz, New York
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