Mark Dion: Theatre of the Natural World, Whitechapel Gallery

All art is observation. And yet not many can observe as studiously and scientifically as Mark Dion. He has the Darwin-like eyes of an obsessive collector and observer of nature. Dion is interested in our relationship with the natural world: he’s partly an artist, partly a scientist, examining how nature and culture interact in urban spaces. His art provokes uneasy reactions from the viewer and is presented like bric-à-brac in a museum of oddities.

A major solo exhibition of the internationally acclaimed American artist, Mark Dion, is now on display. Mark Dion: Theatre of the Natural World, explores how 'we observe, conserve or exploit the natural world', and includes a brand-new commission to be unveiled.


Mark Dion, Hunting Blind The Glutton

Dion’s conceptual work focuses on our situation within nature: the aesthetic is as much about the human as it is about the natural world. His series of domesticated environments, Hunting Blinds (2008) proceeds a reconstruction of a nineteenth-century naturalist's study. Complete with decorated wallpaper and intricate pencil drawings, the room looks utterly antiquated, but many of the displayed objects inside allude to contemporary environmental and social issues.

Dion’s London-inspired Tate Thames Dig (1998 – 2000) is also on show, presented in the final rooms of the exhibition. To create this piece, Dion enlisted the help of teenagers, retirees, artists and historians to gather debris from the shores of the Thames. The objects they found have been transformed into a work of art that traces London's material history.

Dion's art spotlights today’s major environmental issues and reminds us that nature is our habitat. This exhibition asks us to look at things from a different perspective: Mark Dion makes observers of us all.

Culture Whisper is offering Gold Whisper members free pairs of tickets to see this exhibition. Tickets can be used at any time on 25 – 26 March. Book now to avoid disappointment.