Nicholas Metivier Gallery
Toronto, ON

Edward Burtynsky: Unearthed features newly released photographs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is one of several locations Burtynsky has selected to focus on for his forthcoming project, titled Mining for the Future. In order to reach net zero in the context of climate change, there is an increased demand for minerals such as lithium, copper, and cobalt which has resulted in a need for an acceleration in mining. Due to aircraft restrictions in the DRC, Burtynsky used a drone to capture the copper mine's remarkable colour and scale. Tiny figures can be seen upon close inspection in some of the images. They are independent miners that are sifting through the dry tailings for trace amounts of cobalt which they sell in what is a complex and unregulated supply chain that ultimately lands in cell phones, among other devices, across the globe.

Full exhibition details here: metiviergallery.com/exhibitions/247/works