The photographs of Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky lead the viewer through the extremities of commercialism from a behind the scenes point of view. Desolate oil sites, packed and impersonal factories in China, abandoned boat sites, and mines and quarries are just a few scenes that the artist has captured in countries across the world. Burtynsky’s photos depict the product of extreme industrialized development and its affect on nature and humankind. In 1985, the artist founded the Toronto Image Works, a darkroom, custom image lab and new media training center. Recent shows include the touring exhibition titled “The China Series” which was on view at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art and the Presentation House in Vancouver amongst others. This year, the artist had a major survey of 65-70 works at the Gemeente Museum Helmond in the Netherlands. Some of Burtynsky’s awards include the Officer of the Order of Canada (2006) and the Flying Elephants Foundation Fellowship (2004).