Burtynsky’s Oil After reading a very negative review in the NRC newspaper I decided to go view an exhibion called “Oil” by this Canadian guy Edward Burtynsky who has a show in the Amsterdam museum for photography ”Huis Marseille”. With “Oil” Burtynsky tries to relate the problems around oil consumption and the scale of the natural and social problems related to it by showing us images from around the world that have these subjects as a main theme.   I found the images itself, wich mainly consist of large vivdly colored printed wide angle shots of large industrial landscapes, very beautifull to look at. Some are gorgeous for their lines or repetitive themes, others show pretty colors where oil spills into warm ocher desert sands or a rusty ship’s carcasses is warmly lit by a setting sun. Some images are slightly more disturbing. Unprotected workers in third world countries, knee deep in recycled oil, shiny dark black from the toxic material they have to work with or huge amounts of discarded materials waiting to be recycled or absorbed by nature somehow. The sheer size and sharpness of the photographs as well as the hugeness of the depicted scenes filled with waste are quite addictive. I could hardly pull myself away from them.   The review that triggered my visit commented that even though the subjects shown by Burtynsky where oil related, the actual destruction wich is the result of our oil addiction does not come across because the viewer is distracted by the simple beauty of the images. And yeah, they are all pretty somehow. I would gladly trade my current back yard view for any of the views Burtynsky has on offer. In this respect ”Oil” can be seen as a tribute to the beauty of industrial or wastefull landscapes as well as a reminder of their destructive aspects. Although thinking about them causes one to pause, viewing them is a true pleasure. To me an interesting experience. You can have a look for yourself until the 28th of Febuari at the Keizersgracht 401 in Amsterdam.

Burtynsky’s Oil

After reading a very negative review in the NRC newspaper I decided to go view an exhibion called “Oil” by this Canadian guy Edward Burtynsky who has a show in the Amsterdam museum for photography ”Huis Marseille”. With “Oil” Burtynsky tries to relate the problems around oil consumption and the scale of the natural and social problems related to it by showing us images from around the world that have these subjects as a main theme.  

I found the images itself, wich mainly consist of large vivdly colored printed wide angle shots of large industrial landscapes, very beautifull to look at. Some are gorgeous for their lines or repetitive themes, others show pretty colors where oil spills into warm ocher desert sands or a rusty ship’s carcasses is warmly lit by a setting sun. Some images are slightly more disturbing. Unprotected workers in third world countries, knee deep in recycled oil, shiny dark black from the toxic material they have to work with or huge amounts of discarded materials waiting to be recycled or absorbed by nature somehow. The sheer size and sharpness of the photographs as well as the hugeness of the depicted scenes filled with waste are quite addictive. I could hardly pull myself away from them.  

The review that triggered my visit commented that even though the subjects shown by Burtynsky where oil related, the actual destruction wich is the result of our oil addiction does not come across because the viewer is distracted by the simple beauty of the images. And yeah, they are all pretty somehow. I would gladly trade my current back yard view for any of the views Burtynsky has on offer. In this respect ”Oil” can be seen as a tribute to the beauty of industrial or wastefull landscapes as well as a reminder of their destructive aspects. Although thinking about them causes one to pause, viewing them is a true pleasure. To me an interesting experience. You can have a look for yourself until the 28th of Febuari at the Keizersgracht 401 in Amsterdam.