Edward Burtynsky | Natural Order

Earlier this Spring, Edward Burtynsky found himself in mandated lockdown in Grey County, Ontario due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown presented him with an opportunity to get out into the surrounding landscape, new camera in hand, and begin focusing on Nature as his subject matter. The result is a new series titled Natural Order, which recalls Burtynsky's earliest works as a photographer.

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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.

–  Edward Burtynsky

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Donation to support Canadian photographic artists

As part of the Natural Order release, a limited edition portfolio will be published that will include ten 20 x 24-inch photographs from the series, resting in a linen-covered box. The portfolio will also include a new book being released of the same name, published by Steidl. Burtynsky, together with Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto, will be donating $200,000 from the proceeds of the sale of the Natural Order portfolio to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and the Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) for the establishment of new acquisition funds dedicated to acquiring the works by emerging to mid-career Canada photographic artists. Further details regarding this important initiative to support the Canadian photography community during the COVID-19 crisis will be made available in Fall 2020.