We are pleased to announce Edward Burtynsky's newest body of work, Natural Order, which he completed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent global shutdown. The work will be presented in a folio of ten 20 x 24 inch inkjet prints from the series as an edition of 20 (plus 5 APs). The folio will be presented in a bespoke box with a new Steidl hardbound 16 x 20 inch book, inset in the bottom of the case.
Burtynsky: Over the past 40 years I have investigated our collective stranglehold on the natural world. Now the global community is experiencing just how quickly the tables can turn. In a few short weeks, and for the first time in memorable history, the world economy has ground to a halt, with business-as-usual suspended indefinitely. During this time spent in isolation and while reflecting on this historic moment and the gravity of these events, I have taken the opportunity to once again turn my lens to the natural landscape as subject matter.
The result is this new series, made during the time of year when the cycle of renewal exerts itself on the Earth. From the frigid sleep of winter to the fecund urgency of spring, these images are an affirmation of the complexity, wonder and resilience of the natural order in all things. I find myself gazing into an infinity of apparent chaos, but through that selective contemplation, an order emerges — an enduring order that remains intact regardless of our own human fate.
These images are all from a place called Grey County, Ontario. They are also from a place in my mind that aspires to wrest order out of chaos and to act as a salve in these uncertain times.
- May 21, 2020