Edward Burtynsky, Oil
Главната тема в майсторската фотография на Едуард Бъртински са последиците за природата след човешката намеса с цел всички ние да живеем по-добре и да поддържаме високия си стандарт. Представям ви последната му изложба в галерията за изкуство Corcoran във Вашингтон. Тя документира целият път на извличане, производство, разпространение и използване на най-ценното и съответно разпространено гориво в света засега – петролът. Фотографиите ни отвеждат на места, които по принцип едва ли ще видим сами, дори може би не трябва. Паралелно с изложбата творбите му ще бъдат достъпни и в книжно тяло, озаглавено Edward Burtynsky: Oil от издателство Steidl.
Nature transformed through industry is a predominant theme in my work. I set course to intersect with a contemporary view of the great ages of man; from stone, to minerals, oil, transportation, silicon, and so on. To make these ideas visible I search for subjects that are rich in detail and scale yet open in their meaning. Recycling yards, mine tailings, quarries and refineries are all places that are outside of our normal experience, yet we partake of their output on a daily basis.
These images are meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence; they search for a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and fear. We are drawn by desire – a chance at good living, yet we are consciously or unconsciously aware that the world is suffering for our success. Our dependence on nature to provide the materials for our consumption and our concern for the health of our planet sets us into an uneasy contradiction. For me, these images function as reflecting pools of our times.
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A new Steidl book release and touring exhibition organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC. surveys a decade of photographic work that explores the subject of oil. Edward Burtynsky has traveled internationally to chronicle the production, distribution, and use of the most critical fuel of our time.
In addition to revealing the rarely-seen mechanics of its manufacture, Burtynsky captures the effects of oil on our lives, depicting landscapes altered by its extraction from the earth, and by the cities and suburban sprawl generated around its use. He also addresses the coming “end of oil,” as we confront its rising cost and dwindling availability.
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