The Industrial Sublime

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville is featuring an exhibition of the works of Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. The Frist Center describes Burtynsky’s work as documenting “the topographical landscape as it has been irrevocably altered by industries that feed the world’s appetite for material goods.” Says The Frist Center: “Burtynsky finds both beauty and repulsiveness in his depictions of mining, manufacturing, consumption, waste disposal and recycling. Rather than simply decry the human scarring of the land, he acknowledges the conflict between the human need for economic growth and the value of protecting our fragile ecosystem. The 15 photographs in this exhibition show the beauty and ugliness of landscapes that have been altered by human industry.”

The exhibition continues through September 3.