In creating sculptures and installations, artist Mark Dion attempts to gain knowledge through “things.” He outlines museums as a “window into the past.” This emphasis on the history of ideas stands strong in his works which explore how knowledge about the natural world transitioned over time. Through his art, he seeks to deconstruct various institutions of science. He also challenges the notion of science, comparing its contemporary presence as the dominant knowledge to that of theology in the past. Specifically intertwining ecology and capitalism, Dion asks, “How about some resistance to the juggernaut of global capital?” His works are critical of the human-nature relationship and how scientific knowledges have evolved.
Featured image: Mark Dion’s Neukom Vivarium
Featured image by Vmenkov (Own work (Own photo)) via Wikimedia Commons