Natural Order Edward Burtynsky

On September 3, 2020 Edward's new body of work, Natural Order, was released with an exhibition at the Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto, Ontario, a brand new portfolio and a book published by Steidl. The exhibition was complemented with three Gallery Talks with Paul Roth of the Ryerson Image Centre,  Marta Braun of Ryerson University, and Cameron Bailey of the Toronto International Film Festival, all of which are now available to view online.

Burtynsky, together with Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto, also donated $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 Canadian photographic artists.

Further details regarding this important initiative to support the Canadian photography community during the COVID-19 crisis will be made available later this year.

NATURAL ORDER

Artist Statement

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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