Edward Burtynsky

Canadian, born 1955

BiographyEdward Burtynsky (b. 1955) was born in St. Catharines, Ontario and
received his Bachelor of Applied Arts in Photography and Media
Studies from Ryerson University in 1982. Early exposure to the sites
and images of the General Motors plant in his hometown helped to
formulate his photographic work that explores the destructive effects of
human endeavor upon the planet. In addition to capturing the terrible
beauty of industrial interventions in nature such as mining, quarrying,
manufacturing, shipping, the production of oil, and recycling, he has
made award-winning films with director Jennifer Baichwal,
Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013).

Burtynsky's exhibitions have toured internationally, including Water
(2013) at the New Orleans Museum of Art & Contemporary Art Center,
New Orleans, Louisiana, Oil (2009) at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in
Washington D.C., Manufactured Landscapes (2003) at the National
Gallery of Canada, Before the Flood (2003), and China. His most
current project, a feature-length documentary film, Anthropocene:The
Human Epoch (2018) is being exhibited across Canada and the United
States.

Among other awards, Burtynsky is the recipient of the ICP Infinity
Award for Art (2008), the Rogers Best Documentary Film Award
(2006), the inaugural TED Prize (2005), the Dialogue of Humanity
Award at Rencontres d’Arles (2004), and the Roloff Beny Book Award
(2003). In 2006, he was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of
Canada, and holds six honorary doctorate degrees.

He is represented by internationally recognized galleries including
Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco, Bruce Wolkowitz Gallery NY and
Flowers Gallery, London.

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