Edward Burtynsky: Anthropocene Emerging

The large-format photographs by renowned artist Edward Burtynsky shown in Anthropocene Emerging were taken from a formative period in Burtynsky’s career – between 1991 and 2001. During this decade, Burtynsky travelled internationally to capture sublime industrial scenes – pictures he has referred to as “manufactured landscapes”. The five bodies of work in this exhibition, featuring ships being recycled; the interiors and exteriors of oil refineries; and behind-the-scenes looks at quarry, mining, and recycling operations; depict difficult truths about how humanity is shaping our planet. The beautiful images show a side of human consumption that that many of us rarely think about. They may inspire viewers to consider the current state of our environment by featuring sites we would otherwise never see.

Edward Burtynsky was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. In 1985, he founded Toronto Image Works, a darkroom rental facility, custom lab and digital imaging facility, and media computer training centre. Burtynsky has received international attention for this work including recent solo exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Cleveland Museum of Art, and Fondazione MAST (Bologna). His works are held in the collections of more than 60 art museums worldwide. Burtynsky has earned many prestigious awards for his work including Officer of the Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Award in the Visual Arts.

The AGW thanks Dr. Catharine Mastin, outgoing Executive Director, for her research and curatorial contributions to ‘Edward Burtynsky: Anthropocene Emerging.’