This summer, New York City becomes the focal point for the return of one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary artists working in photography today. Edward Burtynsky, renowned for capturing the stark beauty and unsettling reality of global industrial landscapes, will present a sweeping series of exhibitions and events across the city, offering audiences a multifaceted look at his 40+ year exploration of humanity’s impact on the planet.
Opening on June 19th and running through September 28th, with the exhibition’s closing timed to coincide with the conclusion of Climate Week NYC, the International Center of Photography (ICP) will present Edward Burtynsky: The Great Acceleration, the artist’s first major solo institutional exhibition in New York in over 20 years. Curated by David Campany, the retrospective features more than 70 of Burtynsky’s most powerful images, including several never-before-seen works and immersive ultra-high-resolution murals that confront viewers with the impact of human industry on the planet.
15 limited-edition prints of Burtynsky’s recent work Rainforest #2 will be available for purchase at ICP to
fundraise for LA wildfire victims. Proceeds will benefit both the California Community Foundation and
ICP. The edition will be displayed alongside one work documenting the devastating aftermath of the LA
wildfires.
Complementing the ICP exhibition, Metrograph will screen The Anthropocene Trilogy, a nearly two decade collaboration between Burtynsky and filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier, on June 20th, 21st, 28th, and 29th. The trilogy includes the award-winning films Manufactured Landscapes (2006), Watermark (2013), and ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch (2018). Each film expands on
Burtynsky’s body of work and continues to document humanity’s profound and often irreversible impact on the planet. Timely and urgent, these films offer a powerful visual reckoning, compelling viewers to confront the scale of our global footprint and consider pathways toward a more sustainable future. Screenings will be followed by in-person discussions with the artist, filmmakers, and special guests. Tickets for The Anthropocene Trilogy screenings will be available on Metrograph.com starting 23rd May.
From August 7th to September 20th, Howard Greenberg Gallery will present Natural Commodities, a solo exhibition featuring a selection of works, including previews from Burtynsky’s forthcoming project Mining: For the Future. Mining has long been a central subject in Burtynsky’s practice, and no other photographic artist has documented the scale and extent of mining sites the way that he has globally.
MORE: edwardburtynsky.com
About the artist
Edward Burtynsky is regarded as one of the world’s most accomplished contemporary photographers. His remarkable photographic depictions of global industrial landscapes represent over 40 years of his dedication to bearing witness to the impact of humans on the planet. Burtynsky’s photographs are included in the collections of over 80 major museums around the world. Major (touring) exhibitions
include: BURTYNSKY: Extraction/Abstraction (2024) which premiered at London’s Saatchi Gallery;
Anthropocene (2018); Water (2013) organized by the New Orleans Museum of Art & Contemporary Art
Center, Louisiana; Oil (2009) at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.; China (2005 five-year
tour) and Manufactured Landscapes (2003) at the National Gallery of Canada. Burtynsky’s distinctions
include the inaugural TED Prize in 2005, which he shared with Bono and Robert Fischell; the Governor
General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts; the Outreach Award at the Rencontres d’Arles; the Roloff
Beny Book award and the 2018 Photo London Master of Photography Award. In 2019 he was the
recipient of the Arts & Letters Award at the Canadian Association of New York’s annual Maple Leaf Ball
and the 2019 Lucie Award for Achievement in Documentary Photography. In 2020 he was awarded a
Royal Photographic Society Honorary Fellowship and in 2022 was honored with the Outstanding
Contribution to Photography Award by the World Photography Organization. In 2022 he was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and was named the 2022 recipient for the annual Pollution Probe Award. Most recently he received the 2023 PHotoESPAÑA Award for Professional Career and was awarded with the 25th edition of the Pino Pascali Prize. Burtynsky was also a key production figure in the award-winning documentary trilogy Manufactured Landscapes (dir. Jennifer Baichwal, 2006), Watermark (dir. Baichwal and Burtynsky, 2013) and ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch (dir. Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Burtynsky, 2018). All three films continue to play in festivals around the world. Burtynsky currently holds nine honorary doctorate degrees.
