OC RCA
1955 -
Canadian
Shipyard #12, Qili Port, Zhejiang Province, China
digital chromogenic print
on verso signed on a label, titled, editioned 5/9 and dated 2005 on the gallery label
49 x 39 in, 124.5 x 99.1 cm
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD
Sold for: $16,250
Preview at:
PROVENANCE
Paul Kuhn Gallery, Calgary
Private Collection, Vancouver
LITERATURE
Marc Mayer et al., China: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, 2005, reproduced pages 71 and 130
Edward Burtynsky’s extraordinary large-scale photographs often document industry and its effect upon the environment. He uses large-format viewfinder cameras that capture detail in a clear, heightened manner that is described as hyper-real. For Burtynsky, China is an important subject, and he has depicted the Three Gorges Dam project, the production of steel and coal, abandoned industrial sites, recycling and shipyards - such as this striking photograph of a ship under construction in Qili, in Zhejiang Province. It is estimated that Qili shipyards build 232 to 250 ships every year, using 500,000 tons of steel and employing 12,000 workers, with an output equivalent to approximately 35 per cent of the world market. The central towering ship in this photograph has a particularly compelling presence – it is built to the stage of an exoskeleton, and its steel beams at the top with their repeating open triangular shapes create a striking symmetry. Burtynsky grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario, and as a child was fascinated by the large ships that passed down the nearby Welland Canal. That faraway memory lingers in the sense of awe that accompanies his images of these monumental ships.
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CAD
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
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