Edward Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction

Burtynsky's sweeping photographs of natural and industrial landscapes bring the limits of our resources into harsh relief

According to curator Marc Mayer, photographer Edward Burtynsky has three main facets to his identity: "The Technician," "The Journalist," "The Artist." Published on the occasion of Burtynsky's largest and most comprehensive exhibition to date at the Saatchi Gallery in London, Extraction/Abstraction looks deeply at the key subjects and signature images spanning his 45-year career. The catalog and related exhibition present a dichotomy of Burtynsky's image-making imperative: the lucid and informed documentation of large-scale extractive processes, and how, through his practice, Burtynsky transforms the landscape of industry into complete abstraction. Other essential themes in his oeuvre, such as agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and waste, also find their rightful place here.
With more than 130 color plates, the book also has a special section, the "Process Archive," featuring previously unpublished, behind-the-scenes photographs showing Burtynsky at work on the ground and in the air throughout his career. The archive provides a glimpse into the artist's progression through the evolution of the medium itself, from mid-20th-century large-format analog cameras through to 21st-century high-resolution digital technologies, including explorations into photogrammetry and augmented reality.
Edward Burtynsky was born in St. Catharines, Canada, in 1955. His remarkable depictions of global industrial landscapes are held in the collections of over 60 major museums including the National Gallery of Canada; the Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim Museum in New York; Tate Modern, London; Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.