Persistence, Obsolescence & Renewal
A Visual Inquiry into The Lifecycle of Energy Infrastructure
June 7-August 5, 2025
Peter Tertzakian | The Art of Energy
Canmore, Canada
Persistence, Obsolescence and Renewal: A Visual Inquiry into the Lifecycle of Energy Infrastructure is a solo exhibition by Peter Tertzakian, whose career bridges energy, finance, and the creative arts. While his background reveals decades of analytical work in energy economics, Tertzakian’s artistic practice reflects a lifelong pursuit of storytelling through photography, writing, and visual culture. In his words, “A picture is worth a thousand spreadsheets.”
With an eye trained by years of photographing how society’s energy systems evolve, Tertzakian documents elements we often overlook. Visual cues—vehicles, chimneys, windmills, lightbulbs, and wires—serve as both artifacts and analytical tools for thinking about business, innovation, and the uncertain path of how society sources its energy and puts it to work.
This is not a nostalgic collection. The works—often rendered in high contrast black-and-white or bold pop-art stylization—evoke realism and irony. In Green Shoots, wind turbines rise from industrial soil beside legacy factories. What We Keep presents a weathered Volkswagen van, emotionally preserved long past its usefulness. And in Those Uprooted, the focus shifts to people, showing how entire communities are displaced by shifts in energy regimes.
Together, these images prompt a simple but powerful question: which energy paradigms will endure, which will fade, and which might return? As society faces strong forces of change, this question is no longer theoretical—it shapes how we invest, plan, and adapt our energy systems for the future. Tertzakian invites viewers, business leaders, investors, policymakers, curious observers and of course art lovers, to pause and visually explore:
Which systems are built to persist—or persist regardless? Which are becoming obsolete? And which might surprise us by returning with renewed relevance?
To see more of Peter Tertzakian’s work, visit his collection at the Peter Tertzakian Gallery in Canmore or check out his online platform at the link provided.