Edward Burtynsky,
Shipyard #7, Qili Port, Zhejiang Province, China, 2005, Dye-coupler print Gift of the artist, 2006 (49-014.36)
Exhibitions
Edward Burtynsky: Material World
Samuel J. Zacks and Contemporary Feature Galleries
28 June - 19 October
From resource extraction, through production and consumption to accumulating waste streams, Edward Burtynsky's gorgeous large-format photographs document the impact of human activity on the environment. This exhibition of works by the renowned Canadian photographer spans 1985 to 2005 and reveals the massive transformation of landscapes spurred by economic globalisation, especially in the manufacturing juggernaut of contemporary China. Through dramatic perspective and sweeping orchestration of detail, Edward Burtynsky's images deliver a forceful encounter with the seldom seen mechanisms of human industry. The photographs tread a considered line between romantic affirmation of sheer power - a kind of industrial sublime - and critique of the accelerating devastation of the natural environment.
Drawing on the artist's 2006 donation of forty-seven works to the Art Centre, Edward Burtynsky: Material World offers an overview of his most significant series: Mines and Tailings, Quarries, Oil Fields and Refineries, Shipbreaking, Three Gorges Dam Project, Highways, China, and Urban Mines.
Jan Allen
ArtDocs
Manufactured Landscapes (2006)
Thursday 18 September 7 pm, Art Centre Atrium
Artist's Lecture
Edward Burtynsky, "In the Wake of Progress"
Thursday 2 October 4 pm
Public Reception
Thursday 2 October 7-9 pm.
Art Centre Atrium following the lecture.
Presenting Sponsor:
