Art 380 Post One: Mark Dion

Figure 1.

Mark Dion and William Schefferine Wheelbarrows of Progress: Survival of the Cutest (1990)

Mark Dion creates mixed media installation using a collection of imagery, material and found objects of both natural material and synthetic that when combined create absurd, interesting and sometimes humorous scenes. Influenced by history, archiving, ecology and the contemporary political world; Dion uses tools such as irony and humour alongside his choice of often dark and morbid topics to make strategic and thoughtful work.

Two of my favourite examples of Dion's work include Survival of the Cutest (figure 1) and Ursus Maritimus (figure 2) which both have a theme of animal welfare and human animal relationships (themes that I explore in my own work) but by employing different tactics I feel create different emotional responses in an audience. Survival of the Cutest criticises conservation organisations selective attitude when it comes to the promotion of animal protection and the deliberate promotion of only the 'charismatic animals.' The overfilled wheelbarrow Dion states is designed to reflect on small, capturing conditions as a mockery of 'locking up' nature.

Ursus Maritimus is a more emotive and saddening piece about ecological disaster that comes across strongly linked to activism and the spread of scientific knowledge. Both pieces work with collections, space, and containment. These are all elements I am aiming to develop in my own work and Dion's range of thoughtful compostitions are a useful tool.

Figure 2.

Mark Dion Ursus Maritimus (1994)