Edward Burtynsky: Taking Place
Edward Burtynsky: Taking Place
On View: September 3, 2025 – April 18, 2026
Location: Reeves Museum of Ceramics, The Elisabeth S. Gottwald Gallery
Save the Date: Opening reception on Thursday, September 11, 2025, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Image (left): Coal Tailings #1, SASOL Synfuels, Secunda, Mpumalanga, South Africa, 2018 (detail) © Edward Burtynsky. Courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery.
Edward Burtynsky: Taking Place invites us to reflect on how nature is deeply transformed through the human production of modern-day comforts. The photographer is an internationally acclaimed Canadian artist whose work spans more than 40 years and challenges us to consider the collision of places and economies demanded in our daily life.
At once compelling and troubling, Burtynksy’s large format aerial photographs blur lines between abstract art and documentation. Capturing the magnitude of lands deeply marked and affected by human industry, they visually contradict the realities they are meant to document: the harmful and disturbing aftermath of modern-day processes used to maintain a growing global population. Through them, the artist bears witness to the impact of human beings on nature and encourages us to reflect on our environmental impact and how we shape the world we live in.
A collaboration between the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics and the W&L Art Museum and Galleries, the exhibition highlights issues considered in both the Mudd Center’s series “Taking Place: Land Use and Environmental Impact” and the W&L Art Museum’s theme of “Materiality & Transformation.”
The loan exhibition is made possible through the support of the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics and Sundaram Tagore Gallery.
About the Artist
Credit: Photo by Christopher Michel, 2024
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 human industry on the planet.
Born in 1955 of Ukrainian heritage in St. Catharines, Ontario, he received his Bachelor of Applied Arts in photography/media studies from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in 1982. He founded Toronto Image Works in 1985 as a photographic and digital facility catering to all levels of Toronto’s art community. Early exposure to the General Motors plant and watching ships go by in the Welland Canal in Burtynsky’s hometown formed a basis for his creative outlook. His imagery explores the collective impact we as a species are having on the surface of the planet — an inspection of the human systems we’ve imposed onto natural landscapes.
An active lecturer and recipient of many awards, Burtynsky has exhibited internationally, including his recent exhibition BURTYNSKY: Extraction/Abstraction, which premiered at London’s Saatchi Gallery (February 2024) before touring to M9 in Mestre, Italy. His visually compelling works are currently exhibited in solo and group exhibitions around the globe and are included in the collections of major museums around the world. Sundaram Tagore Gallery in New York and Hong Kong, one of his several galleries, helped make this exhibition possible.
“We come from nature. There is an importance to [having] a certain reverence for what nature is because we are connected to it. ... If we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves.”
Edward Burtynsky
Events & Programming
The Ethics of Extraction: A Mudd Center Lecture
Thursday, September 11, 2025, 5:10 – 6:10 p.m.
Stackhouse Theater
The Mudd Center presents “The Ethics of Extraction,” a lecture by Thea Riofrancos, to kick off the 2025-2026 Mudd series “Taking Place: Land Use and Environmental Impact.” Riofrancos will explore the environmental, human and political consequences of lithium mining and the ethical complexities of “green” energy technologies.
A reception will follow in the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, where guests can experience the extraordinary work of world-renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky in his exhibit “Taking Place,” whose images compellingly capture the profound impact of human industry on the natural landscape. Pre-registration is required for the reception.
Taking Place: Opening Reception
Thursday, September 11, 2025, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Reeves Museum of Ceramics
Join us for an evening reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres to celebrate the opening of Taking Place, an exhibition of powerful photographic works by world-renowned artist Edward Burtynsky. Known for his striking depictions of large-scale industrial sites, Burtynsky’s images confront viewers with the environmental and human impact of global extraction practices.
This event is free and open to all. Pre-registration is required.
The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Mudd Center for Ethics’ 2025–2026 series, "Taking Place: Land Use and Environmental Impact."
Image (left) Coal Tailings #1, SASOL Synfuels, Secunda, Mpumalanga, South Africa, 2018 (detail) © Edward Burtynsky. Courtesy of Sundaram Tagore Gallery.