Mark Dion

(American, born 1961)

Mark Dion is an American Conceptual artist whose practice examines the history of the museum and the presentation of knowledge. Through a rigorous examination and recreation of traditional methods of display, he calls into question the hierarchies of the aesthetics and conventions of historical proof and reason. “I identify with the mission of the museum, where you go to gain knowledge through things,” he has explained. “Museums are time capsules. They embody the values of their time. In the 19th century, the polar bear was presented as a fearful monster with sharp claws. Nowadays as a vulnerable creature that needs to be protected.’’ Dion often uses the artifice of an archaeological or scientific tone in his work to complicate the viewers’ experience of whether to trust or distrust the ideas presented in his work. Born on August 28, 1961 in New Bedford, MA, he went on to study art at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. Dion’s work can be found in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Seattle Art Museum, among others. The artist lives and works in New York, NY.