Photography exhibition shows scale of transformation in Africa

Photographer Edward Burtynsky exhibited in London a collection of photographs captured in Africa between 2015 and 2019.

Entitled “African Studies”, the images draw attention to the effects of globalisation and the scale of transformation taking place on the continent.

“You know, most of the imagery that has come out of Africa, either is more an anthropological study of the colourful people still living traditional lives in Africa, or it’s the safari images or on the other hand it’s also famine or war or very dark and negative images of Africa”, (…), “There might be some other approach, another way to look at the continent and what is happening there. So, in my view, globalisation and Africa becoming the next (business, ed.) destination for many countries.”

The photographer’s work chronicles themes such as terraforming, extraction, agriculture and urbanization, mostly using aerial perspectives.

“It (aerial point of view, ed.) really gives you the sense of the landscape, how it’s being changed and what’s being changed. And I think that that aerial perspective, where the mid-ground becomes more apparent and the scale of things become more apparent, was a great way to show the mining in South Africa, or in other countries that I did”, concluded the photographer.

The exhibition coincided with the publication of Edward Burtynsky’s latest book entitled “African Studies”.

By Africanews