Ca’Rezzonico, Venice, Italy, 2012

Designed by Baldassare Longhena in the 17^th century, this palace was completed nearly 100 years later by Giorgio Massari and later passed through various hands before poet Robert Browning and his son, painter Robert Barrett took ownership. Since 1935, the Ca’Rezzonico has been owned by the City Council of Venice, which uses it to display part of its vast collection of 18^th century art. Photographing of any sort is strictly forbidden anywhere within its upper interior. As such, I underwent a rather lengthy process to acquire reproduction rights for this specific room and I was closely monitored during my hour time slot. Its most notable feature is the extensive use of Trompe-l’Пil to give relieve to the perimeter walls. The space is actually quite flat and two dimensional when viewed in person, so my response was to play into that notion. I lit each surface equally thereby removing certain spatial clues of light and dark leaving only perspective to define foreground/background, in a way, creating a Trompe-l’Пil of a Trompe-l’Пil.

– David Burdeny

David Burdeny initiated his career with the Jennifer Kostuik Gallery in 2001 and has been exhibiting his images from the world over, including Antarctica, Iceland, Brazil, China, Burma, Cambodia, France, Italy, Canada and the USA. Known for his finely composed photographs, Burdeny has spent the past 25 years exploring a variegated photographic Landscape ranging from minimal seascapes, ornate European interiors to abstract aerial images. Widely collected in Canada, the USA, Asia and Europe, the sheer beauty of David’s images has firmly placed him within the realm of Canada’s most sought after photo-based artists. Burdeny has an innate curiosity for new subjects and themes, producing over 20 themed photographic series. Be it mounting a camera beneath a self-built drone, shooting from the deck of an Antarctic bound icebreaker, or waiting for an ocean tide to advance, he faithfully embeds his own formal signature into each and every image, further expressing a life long passion for the built environment and the camera’s interpretation of it.

David Burdeny’s Masters in Architecture and Interior Design background combined with his upbringing in the vast Canadian prairies provides the template for his keen technical ability, enduring patience and minimalist aesthetic.