Sunday, 14 September 2014

Nadav Kander / Edward Burtynsky - Flowers Gallery

Nadav Kander, The Aral Sea I (Officers Housing), Kazakhstan, 2011
Nadav Kander: Dust is at Flowers Gallery, Kingsland Road until 11 October 2014
Edward Burtynsky: Watermark is at Flowers Gallery, Cork Street until 4 October 2014

Two manifestations of the contemporary sublime are on show at Flowers Galleries. The term 'Toxic Sublime' was coined originally by Jennifer Peeples in relation to Burtynsky's astonishingly beautiful images of polluted and contaminated landscapes. Here, however, it is more apt for Nadav Kander's pictures of the ruined landscape and 'secret' cities* (ie not mapped) on the borders of Russia and Kazakhstan which were Russian nuclear weapon test sites during the Cold War era. Watch a video of Kander talking about his work and read a review of the exhibition by Sean O'Hagan. (See also earlier blog entry on Kander's series of nudes.)
*Priozersk and Kurchatov in the Semipalatinsk Test Site.

Edward Burtynsky's current project focuses on our most vital resource: water. His pictures document the impact of global consumption and production on water supplies as well as how water acts on, and shapes, the environment. Watch Where I Stand: A Behind the Scenes Look at Edward Burtynsky's Photographic Essay 'Water' - really interesting: recommended. (I want a remote controlled, helipcopter camera!). A feature length documentary film Watermark by Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky has just been released; watch a trailer here.
(See also earlier blog entry on Burtynsky's exhibition Oil)

Nadav Kander: Dust
Nadav Kander, The Aral Sea III (Fishing Trawler), Kazakhstan, 2011
Nadav Kander, Kurchatov IV (Telephone Exchange), Kazakhstan, 2011
Nadav Kander, Priozersk XIV (I Was Told She Once Held An Oar), Kazakhstan, 2011
Nadav Kander, The Polygon Nuclear Test Site XII (Dust to Dust), Kazakhstan, 2011
Nadav Kander, Kurchatov I (Scientific Research Facility), Kazakhstan, 2011

Edward Burtynsky: Water
Edward Burtynsky, Dyralaekir River on Myrdalssandur, 2013
Edward Burtynsky, Xiaolangdi Dam #4, Yellow River, Henan Province, China, 2011
Edward Burtynsky, Dryland Farming #13, Monegros County, Aragon, Spain, 2010
Edward Burtynsky, Oil Spill #13, Mississippi Delta, Gulf of Mexico, June 24, 2010
Edward Burtynsky, Pivot Irrigation / Suburb, South of Yuma, Arizona, 2011
Edward Burtynsky, Colorado River Delta #8, Salinas Baja, Mexico, 2012

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