Burtynsky’s remarkable photographic depictions of global industrial landscapes are included in the collections of more than 50 museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Bibliotèque Nationale in Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. His numerous distinctions include the TED Prize, the Outreach Award at the Rencontres d’Arles, three honorary doctorate degrees, and Canada’s highest civil honor: Officer of the Order of Canada.

Burtynsky takes us around the world in photographs, revealing places rarely seen. He makes beautiful yet terrifying images that illustrate a vital discussion about the colossal effects of economic and industrial growth upon our planet.

“During the course of my work — as the years have turned to decades — it has become clear to me that the plant, animal and mineral resources of the earth are overwhelmed by the robust wheels of economic progress. Cheap fuel in the form of oil, coupled with the internal combustion engine, has begun to tear at the edges of nature’s envelope. As my ideas have evolved, I’ve looked at railcuts, mines, quarries, oil fields and refineries, homesteads, farms, animal husbandry, taxidermy — all in search of images that describe our changing and complex relationship to nature.” — Edward Burtynsky

Organized by the USC Fisher Museum of Art