CBC Ottawa Morning

The performance blends dance, music and the photography of Edward Burtynsky. He and choreographer Andrea Peña joined Hallie in the studio the morning after the world premiere.

Listen to the interview here.

Musée Magazine, Issue 29

For decades, Ed Burtynsky has been exploring and unearthing the intricacies of our planet's relationship with humanity. Hovering like an out-of-this-world entity above mines, forests, and more, turning them into abstract vistas, seemingly untouched by human presence yet imbued with the undeniable marks of our existence. Through his work, he reveals a dichotomy, highlighting our profound reliance on Earth's resources while simultaneously acknowledging the devastating toll our actions take on the very world that nurtures us. Whether investigating the landscapes of agriculture or peering down at the geometrical patterns of pivot irrigation, his work thrusts us into the Anthropocene, a geological era defined by humankind's profound influence on the planet's climate and ecosystems. Coming from the rural expanses of Canada, he carries an unbreakable, personal bond with nature. This connection transcends the ordinary and resonates deeply within the vast and complex realm of ecosystems.

Read the full interview here.

By Charlotte Metcalf
Country & Town House

Having seen Edward Burtynsky’s recent retrospective at the Saatchi Gallery, I am eager to meet him. When he arrives, he appears upbeat for someone who has spent much of his life creating images out of the catastrophically destructive impact of industrialisation.

From a distance many of his images look like huge, beautiful, expressionist paintings. Move closer and you see they are photographs, which appear to have been taken from miles up, showing landscapes decimated by humanity’s activity – logging, mining, quarrying, railways, rubbish dumping, ship-breaking, intensive agriculture, building. The beauty he finds in destruction comprises the central ambiguity at his work’s core, imbuing it with persuasive power that urges us to take the necessary drastic action to save our planet.

Read the interview here.

CBC Radio: The Sunday Magazine

[Re-release from original interview in September 2023] After more than 40 years photographing the industrial sublime around the world, Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky's new project brings him home to St. Catharines, Ont. He's taking an abandoned relic – a 68,000-kilogram sheet metal forge from the former General Motors auto plant, where both Burtynsky and his father worked – and turning it into a sculpture memorializing the industry and people that once drove life in his hometown. He joins Piya Chattopadhyay to talk about his upbringing, the resource industries that define his career and his ongoing work to make audiences connect his beautiful images to the rapid destruction of our planet.

Listen to the full interview here.

National Geographic Italia

An unprecedented retrospective of the forty-year career of Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky is open to the public until January 12, 2025 at the Museo del 900 (M9) in Mestre (VE).

After the successful debut at the Saatchi Gallery in London, the exhibition BURTYNSKY: Extraction / Abstraction has landed in Italy. As expected given the environmentalist background of this photographer, the exhibition focuses on the environmental consequences of human actions, especially industry, on the landscape.

Read the full article here.

By Tim Fujio
Setting Mind

The M9 – Museo del ‘900 in Venice Mestre is set to showcase “BURTYNSKY: Extraction/Abstraction,” the largest solo exhibition of Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, from June 21, 2024, to January 12, 2025. Curated by Marc Mayer and designed by Alvisi Kirimoto, the exhibition provides an in-depth look at Burtynsky’s extensive work documenting the environmental impacts of human activity.

Read the full article here.

By Georgia Magrin
Exibart

Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction is the largest exhibition ever held in the over 40-year career of the great Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky . Curated by Marc Mayer, director of the National Gallery of Canada and the Musée d'Art Contemporain in Montreal, this exhibition, after debuting at the Saatchi Gallery in London, comes to Italy for the first time.

Read the full article here.

By Katherine Ylitalo
Galleries West

“If you are going to have only one Burtynsky book, this is the one.” Upon this recommendation from a knowledgeable friend, I dove into the latest book on the work of world-renowned Canadian photographer, Edward Burtynsky. The new take on his 45-year career accompanies the exhibition Edward Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction at the Saatchi Gallery, which was shown Feb. 14 to May 6, 2024, in London, and will travel to Italy later this summer.

Read the full review here.

The Oldie Podcast

Charlotte Metcalf is a journalist, editor, award-winning documentary film-maker and was co-presenter of the Break Out Culture podcast.   She is Subscriptions Editor and a frequent contributor at The Oldie.

Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian artist and photographer and award-winning film-maker. A recent major retrospective at London’s Saatchi Gallery showed his large format photographs, many vast, of industrial landscapes all over the world.  While they resemble beautiful abstract paintings, they depict industrialisation’s devastating impact on nature and human existence.

Listen to the episode here.

A Lens on Sustainability
Prix Pictet

Renowned for his large format photographs of industrial landscapes, acclaimed Prix Pictet shortlisted photographer and jury member Edward Burtynsky has spent a lifetime capturing the scale and magnitude of human impact on its environment. In this special mini-documentary and podcast, we discuss his journey into Anthropocene photography, traversing the globe in search of landscapes marred by human intervention. Watch the short video and listen to the podcast to learn more about his work, which serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the climate crisis.

Listen to the podcast episode here.

McGill Reporter

Luminaries in their fields, this year’s Hon Docs will be honoured during Spring 2024 Convocation ceremonies, running from May 28 to June 5.

Ten exceptional individuals will receive honorary degrees from McGill as part of Spring 2024 Convocation ceremonies. This year’s recipients represent a diverse array of leaders whose contributions span disciplines, industries, and continents.

Read the full list here.

By Asmaa Toor
TMU The Creative School

The Creative School's renowned alumnus and Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky displayed his exhibit Extraction / Abstraction at Saatchi Gallery in London, UK. The exhibition, which ran from mid-February to early May, featured 94 of Burtynsky’s large-format photographs as well as 13 high-resolution murals, and an augmented reality (AR) experience.

Read the full article here.

Global TV Vancouver

The powerful images captured by an award-winning Canadian photographer are raising attention to the human-cause damage to the planet. Edward Burtynsky talks about his latest show and what he hopes to accomplish with it.

Watch the interview here.

By Matt Growcoot
PetaPixel

Photographer Edward Burtynsky has spent his career capturing stunning large format photographs that — despite their beauty — actually show the damage that’s being done to the planet.

His incredible photographs are currently on exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery in London where he is making use of large format by displaying enormous prints of his arresting work.

Read the full article here.

By Tabish Khan
FAD Magazine

Tabish Khan the @LondonArtCritic picks his Top 5 Art Exhibitions to see in London Post-Easter. Each one comes with a concise review to help you decide whether it’s for you. If you’re looking for museum exhibitions to visit, check out last week’s top 5 where all three remain open to visit.

Read the full article here.

By Helen Gordon
Apollo Magazine

Crawford Lake is around an hour’s drive from Toronto, home of the photographer Edward Burtynsky. Scientists studying sediment layers in the lake have found samples of plutonium from hydrogen bomb tests, carbon particles from fossil fuel burning and nitrates from the mass application of chemical fertilisers. Some want the lake to become an international reference point marking the dawn of the Anthropocene – the period when the human species began to alter the planet irrevocably, becoming a geological force comparable to immense volcanic eruptions or the variations in the Earth’s orbit that drive glacial cycles.

Like these scientists, Burtynsky has long been fascinated by the effects of large-scale human activity on the landscape, especially industry and agriculture. His Anthropocene series (2012–17) and accompanying documentary of 2018 did much to popularise the term beyond the scientific community, and ‘Abstraction/Extraction’ – his sumptuous, thoughtful new retrospective at the Saatchi Gallery – continues this line of inquiry.

Read the full review here.

By Maria Shollenbarger
FT How to Spend It

Where to focus, from Berlin to San Francisco.

Check out the full list here.

Reta Ismail
CTV News London

A collaboration between world-renowned Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, Queen’s University, and Western University, is working to realize a new art piece titled ‘Standing Whale.’

A 3D printed stainless steel scale model is being put to the test inside the Wind Engineering, Energy, and Environment Research Institute (WindEEE RI) in London, Ont.

Read the full article here.

By Beatriz Baleeiro
The London Free Press

A model of what will be a massive sculpture of a blue whale skeleton by a Canadian photographer and artist is being tested at Western University’s wind dome.

The Standing Whale, conceptualized by Edward Burtynsky, is envisioned as a life-sized sculpture, part of Burtynsky’s portrayal of the impact of human industry on the planet.

Read the full article here.

By Lauren Sproule
CBC News

On the second floor of the prestigious Saatchi Gallery in West London, small circular splotches of ruby, slate and marigold fill a large framed print hanging on the wall.

Passersby from a photography group remark that it looks like the work of 19th-century Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. But it's not a Klimt. In fact, it's not even a painting.

Read the full article here.

By Bethany Minelle
Sky News

Landscape photographer Edward Burtynsky's work explores human impact on the surface of the planet, shooting the Coast mountains in the Canadian province of British Columbia, soil erosion in Turkey, and coal mines in Australia for his latest exhibition, New Works.

Read the full article here.

De Donkere Kamer Podcast

Welcome to De Donkere Kamer, the podcast where we delve deeper into the world of art, photography and creativity. In this episode we have a special guest: Edward Burtynsky. We delve into his fascinating journey as a photographer, entrepreneur and environmentalist. From his first steps into the photography world to his groundbreaking projects around the world, Burtynsky shares his insights and experiences. We also discuss his latest exhibition about water that we are organizing in Knokke next summer, which is in line with his mission to increase awareness about climate change. Grab your headphones and join us as we chat with this inspiring renowned photographer.

Listen to the episode here.

By Joanne Shurvell
Forbes

Renowned Canadian photographic artist and filmmaker Edward Burtynsky has taken over two vast floors at London’s Saatchi Gallery to present Extraction/Abstraction, the largest exhibition of his 40 year career. His remarkable photographs and films of global industrial landscapes represent his dedication to bearing witness to the impact of humans have had on the planet.

Read the full article here.

By Irenie Forshaw
Elite Traveler

At first glance, it’s hard to figure out exactly what you’re looking at when confronted with one of Edward Burtynsky’s works. The large-scale pieces appear almost like abstract paintings: strikingly beautiful canvases streaked with colorful paint splatters and geometric patterns. Look closer, though, and you’ll see they are, in fact, breathtakingly detailed photographs of plundered landscapes. From the diamond mines of Botswana to the salt pans of India, every image delves into the (often devastating) impact of human activity on the planet.

I’ve come to the Saatchi Gallery for the Canadian photographer’s largest-ever exhibition – BURTYNSKY: Extraction/ Abstraction. Running through May 6, 2024, the show is set across two floors of the gallery and features 94 of his photographs, alongside a collection of murals and an augmented reality experience.

Read the full article here.

By Rachel Halliburton
Financial Times

The photographer’s spectacular images, on show in London, document the effects of human activity on the natural world.

Edward Burtynsky’s disturbingly beautiful photography brings a giant’s eye view to our ravaged planet, rendering mining sites as glimmering jewel boxes, desertscapes as geometric puzzles and dumping grounds as Jackson Pollock-like eruptions of chaos and colour. This fascinating exhibition covers his journey of more than 40 years — hanging out of Cessna planes, elevated by cranes and latterly deploying drones — to document the way large-scale industry and agriculture have impacted on the natural world.

Read the full review here.

By Ravi Ghosh
British Journal of Photography

Edward Burtynsky is standing in front of the most ambitious and labour-intensive photograph he has ever made. It is a blanket of golf-ball sized orbs and growths in pink, orange, green and brown, unfurling across an entire wall in London’s Saatchi Gallery.

Pengah Wall #1 is an underwater photograph – or rather, a digital image composed of around 200 individual shots – made off the coast of Komodo Island in Indonesia in 2017. Burtynsky stands back slightly and admires the coral, its fleshy, sprouting texture lending a sense of alien vitality. He mentions the work of painter Jackson Pollock; the idea was to emulate the motion and energy of his canvases in the image. “Abstract Expressionism was one of the things I loved in 20th-century art,” the Canadian photographer says. “That there is no singular central point in the images, and their all-overness, texture and modulation – the whole surface has been considered.”

Read the full interview here.

By Gege Li
New Scientist

Global warming means many of the world’s ancient rivers of ice will be gone within decades, threatening ecosystems that rely on their meltwater, a looming crisis that photographer Edward Burtynsky highlights in his work.

Read the full article here.

By Sakchi Khandelwal
BNN

The 'Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction' exhibition at London's Saatchi Gallery captures the profound impact of human activities on Earth through over 90 large-format photographs. Edward Burtynsky's art reveals the abstract beauty and unsettling truths of industrialization, urging visitors to reflect on their ecological footprint and consider sustainable futures.

Read the full review here.