Art-to-Art Palette Journal

TN: Nashville

Nickel Tailings No. 30, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, 1996. Digital chromogenic color print, 38 1/2 x 60 in. Image courtesy of Edward Burtynsky.

WHERE: Frist Center for the Visual Arts.

WHEN: May 25 to September 3, 2012.

TITLE: Edward Burtynsky: The Industrial Sublime

BRIEF ABOUT: Fifteen works by Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky do not just address the environmental destruction that has been wreaked all over the globe, but paradoxically reveal the beauty of the resulting topography.  The exhibit asks viewers to consider the inevitable tension between consumerist society’s thirst for new products and ongoing sources of energy, as well as the need for environmental sustainability if we are to reduce or eliminate the traumatic impact of industry on the earth.

     “Burtynsky doesn’t simply criticize the scarring of the land, but rather acknowledges the conflict between the human desire for economic growth and the value of protecting our delicate environment,” said Frist Center Chief Curator, Mark Scala. “He finds both beauty and repulsiveness in his depictions of mining, manufacturing, consumption, waste disposal and recycling.”

Manufacturing #17, Deda Chicken Processing Plant, Dehui City, Jilin Province, 2005. Digital chromogenic color print, 40 x 60 in. Image courtesy of Edward Burtynsky.

     About: Edward Burtynsky is known as one of Canada’s most respected photographers.  He credits his interest in the link between industry and nature to exposure to the General Motors plant in his hometown in his youth.  An active lecturer on photographic art, Burtynsky’s distinctions include the TED Prize, The Outreach award at the Recontres d’Arles, the Flying Elephant Fellowship, and the Poloff Beny Book Award.  In 2006, he was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Canada and holds four honorary degrees.  His work is featured in more than 50 major collections and museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Bibliotèque Nationale in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York, the Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California.

MORE DETAILS: Call 615.244.3340 or see www.fristcenter.org.

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