—Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky (Cowles Gallery)

Rosemary Frezza first suggested the Washington Post’s current article on Burtynsky, but since that will expire soon she did a little hunting and found the Cowles Gallery link.

There is really no quotable text in the gallery press release (“BURTYNSKY’s photographs, monumental both in scale and subject, capture the indomitable spirit of nature in the face of human-imposed adversity.” Bleah.)

There’s also edwardburtynsky.com, where the artist writes:

These images are meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence; they search for a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and fear. We are drawn by desire – a chance at good living, yet we are consciously or unconsciously aware that the world is suffering for our success. Our dependence on nature to provide the materials for our consumption and our concern for the health of our planet sets us into an uneasy contradiction. For me, these images function as reflecting pools of our times.

Good stuff.