Opening on 6 June 2026, as part of Nuit Blanche
Spanning the border between Canada and the United States, making it disappear into its colossal fluid mass, the Great Lakes basin brings together on its shores millions of inhabitants, among whom are Indigenous peoples of many First Nations and tribes. An extraordinary resource of surface drinking water (among the most important in the world); a place of circulation and exchange, of commerce, work, leisure, travel, meditation, but also of exploitation, danger, and vulnerability; this immense basin has been observed from the diversity of its shores by Robert Burley, one of the most important Canadian photographers of our time.
The artist creates here a corpus as unprecedented as it is exceptional, in which the grandiose beauty of this elusive whole, at times soothing, at times disquieting, becomes a reflection on the power of contemporary imagery. Stripped of all anecdotal distraction, returning the Great Lakes to their primal grandeur, Robert Burley's photographs call to the viewer like enchanting sirens.
In partnership with Biinaagami, Swim Drink Fish and Canadian Geographic
This project is labelled Bicentenaire de la Photographie by the Ministry of Culture and is part of the official programme of the Bicentenaire, from 1 September 2026 to 30 September 2027.
Curator: Catherine Bédard