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| Born in 1961, artist
Mark Dion creates public-art projects and installations that illustrate
man’s relationship to the natural world, reflecting his
interest in natural history museums. Raised in Fairhaven, Massachusetts,
Dion attended Hartford Art School as well as the School of Visual
Arts in New York. Dion also spent a year in the Whitney Museum
of American Art's Independent Study Program. In 2001 Mark Dion
was awarded the Larry Aldrich Foundation Award. Dion’s
work Landfill
was featured in the 2000 exhibition catalogue Small World: Dioramas
in Contemporary Art published by the Museum of Contemporary
Art San Diego. A student of natural history museums, Mark Dion is fascinated with dioramas, and often creates interesting versions of these types of displays. At times his artwork comments on environmental issues. In Landfill, he creates a life-size habitat display, complete with painted backdrop and taxidermied animals. In this work, packaged in a shipping crate, a dog, a cat, rodents and birds scavenge a dump filled with trash relating to the animal kingdom - old bird feeders, leather shoes, and containers for products containing animals or using them as logos. Dion asks the viewers of his artwork to think about the relationship between humans and animals. He points out how humans can have a negative effect on the environment animals live in when they do not care for it properly.  (For Grades 4-6) Is this the type of display you would expect to see in an art museum? Where would you expect to see this type of display? Where does this scene take place? What do the items you see here have in common? Can you think of products or items that you use everyday that are related to animals somehow? How do you think the artist wanted you to feel when you looked at this piece of art? Provide evidence. (For Grades 9-12) How is this artwork’s composition affected by dominance, subordination, and balance? How do the materials used by the artist influence its meaning? How is this sculpture similar to other protest artwork? How is it different? How do personal beliefs and the current social situation influence your interpretation of this artwork? |
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Mark Dion, United States, born 1961 Landfill Mixed media, 1999-2000 Museum purchase, Contemporary Collectors Funds 2000.4 © Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego |
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