Gottwald Gallery of the Reeves Museum of Ceramics
W&L Art Museum and Galleries
Lexington, VA

“Taking Place” invites viewers to reflect on how nature is deeply transformed through the human production of modern-day comforts. Burtynsky’s large-format aerial photographs are both compelling and troubling, blurring lines between abstract art and documentation. The pieces capture the magnitude of lands deeply marked and affected by human industry, and visually contradict the realities they are meant to document: the harmful and disturbing aftermath of modern-day processes used to maintain a growing global population. With “Taking Place,” Burtynsky bears witness to the impact of human beings on nature, inviting us to reflect on our environmental impact and how we shape the world in which we live.

Full exhibition details here: www.wlu.edu/mudd-center/programs-and-events/2025-2026-taking-place-land-use-and-environmental-impact/taking-place-edward-burtynsky