Exhibition Review: Edward Burtynsky | African Studies

Edward Burtynsky. Etosha Pan #1, Namibia, 2018. © Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery and Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York.

Written by Wenjie (Demi) Zhao 

Copy Edited by Robyn Hager 

Photo Edited by Haley Winchell 

Shot from up to 7,000 feet above, 10 countries, in 7 years, Edward Burtynsky’s latest series  African Studies premieres in New York at two solo gallery exhibitions: Howard Greenberg  Gallery in Midtown and Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Chelsea. On view from March to April,  Burtynsky’s African Studies is a thought-provoking collection of aerial photographs that offer a  polychrome and multi-layered commentary on the complex relationship between humanity and  the natural world. The painterly and disarmingly beautiful images of natural and industrial  landscapes chronicle Burtynsky’s ongoing dedication to environmental awareness and human’s  industrial footprints across the globe. He starts a conversation with the viewer by stating “our  earth is BEAUTIFUL,” but leaves the second half of the unfinished sentence for us to answer: if  we don’t protect it properly, the beauty of the planet will cease to exist. 

Edward Burtynsky. Camel Caravan #1, Danakil of Depression, Ethiopia, 2018. © Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery and Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York.

Edward Burtynsky. Tailings Pond #5, Orapa Diamond of Mine, Botswana, 2019. © Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery and Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York.

For this project, the acclaimed Canadian photographer has traveled to Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar and Tanzania  between 2015 and 2020. Flying over rift valleys, salt ponds, iron ore mines, sand dunes, tea  plantations, and sulfur springs, Edward Burtynsky’s lens opens up a new world for us. Within his  works, the miracle of nature is revealed in all its wonders. As viewers we may wonder: is nature itself a great abstractionist painter? The extraordinary range of color palette and sumptuous  tones are composed to depict the primordial land of Sub-Saharan Africa. The untouched  landscapes unfold before our eyes, telling a primeval story of nature, formation, and the earth.  The vastness and beauty of the wilderness was a “revelation” not only to Burtynsky, but also to  us, which provided a “contrapuntal balance” to a lengthy exposition of heavily industrialized  landscapes, agriculture, and urban development as the photographer himself recounts. 

Edward Burtynsky. Sulfur Springs #1, Dallol, Danakil of Depression, Ethiopia, 2018. © Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery and Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York.

African Studies is a joint collaboration between Edward Burtynsky and nature. In “Sulfur Springs  #1,” Burtynsky captures the essence of the surreal and otherworldly Dallol region in Ethiopia.  The photograph portrays a breathtakingly beautiful yet hauntingly desolate landscape, with pools of brilliantly colored sulfur water surrounded by jagged rocks and ripples rising from the  ground. From where the magma meets the ground a wonder springs forth, like a boiling pool  of fiery hue, where steam and sulfur dance anew. The water now bears the mark of sulfur’s kiss:  a vivid yellow, an orange glow, which hinds at the Earth’s depths below. Burtynsky’s photograph  is a testament to the Earth’s power, a place of wonder, a sacred bower. For here, amidst the  rocks and streams, a fragile ecosystem does gleam, where life adapts, and thrives, and glows. 

Edward Burtynsky. Salt Ponds #6, Near Tikat Banguel, Senegal, 2019. © Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery and Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York.

Edward Burtynsky. Sishen Iron Ore Mine #2, of Overburden, Kathu, South Africa, 2018. © Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery and Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York.

In Burtynsky’s work, nature finds repose. His African Studies document complex natural  phenomenons and distill the continent’s diverse topography into graphic patterns, offering a  glimpse into the power and beauty of the Earth’s geology, while also serving as a reminder of  the need to preserve our natural resources. It is an exhibition of profound depth that depicts  the natural world’s breath. The landscape’s sublime beauty comes with a dire plea: to grow our  civilization sustainably and consciously protect the limited natural resources. Between content  and form, marks of human infrastructure and painterly abstract compositions, Burtynsky’s  photographs provoke our soul to act and save, and to make the Earth a place where seeds will  grow again.

Edward Burtynsky. Makoko #2, Lagos, Nigeria, 2016. © Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery and Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York.