Edward Burtynsky’s ‘Shifting Topography’ to be shown at COP31 in Antalya

ISTANBUL

A special selection from Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky’s “Shifting Topography” exhibition will be displayed in the southwestern Turkish city of Antalya from Nov. 9 to 20 as part of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), bringing large-scale photographic works examining humanity’s impact on the planet to the international climate summit.

The selection draws on Burtynsky’s 2025-2026 exhibition at Perili Köşk, an arts venue in Istanbul, and focuses on how human activity has reshaped the natural environment. Through expansive images of industrial production sites, mines and agricultural landscapes, the photographer documents the physical traces of economic development and the lasting consequences of human intervention.

The exhibition will be presented at Akra Antalya through a collaboration with Borusan Contemporary. A key section of the exhibition is the “Erosion” series, commissioned by the Borusan Contemporary Art Collection with contributions from the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA). Featuring aerial photographs taken across Anatolia, the series brings together the geological history of the land and the effects of human activity, portraying changes to landscapes shaped over thousands of years.

The Antalya exhibition will also feature “In the Wake of Progress,” a 22-minute immersive multimedia work combining Burtynsky’s photographic output spanning several decades with music composed by Phil Strong.

The project, which will be presented in Türkiye for the first time, combines visual storytelling with an examination of the environmental consequences of industrialization and development. It will be accessible throughout the COP31 period.

COP31 will bring government representatives, climate negotiators and other stakeholders to Antalya to discuss global efforts to address climate change. The exhibition will offer visitors an artistic perspective on the relationship between human progress, environmental transformation and the long-term sustainability of the planet.