Description

Mark Dion. Ornithology For Birds (2018). Screen print on bookcloth scroll, in bespoke box. 69 x 56 cm [27 x 22 in]. Edition of 50 works, signed and numbered. Mark Dion has produced a new edition especially for the Whitechapel Gallery in the form of a scroll. Historically used as an educational tool, Dion's scroll, entitled Ornithology For Birds, 2018, at first glance references the study of birds. However on closer inspection, the diagram of a bird is attributed with the major art movements of the 20th century. Dion, who is known for his interest in outmoded ways of teaching and structuring the natural world, playfully brings together art-historical quotations and the language of pedagogy to reference his long-held interest in knowledge production and museum display.