Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman are artists whose work probes our strained relationship with the environment. They were among the first to anticipate the epic ecological problems we now face. Throughout the course of their respective careers, both artists have collaborated on environmental research expeditions and publications. This exhibition is the first to consider both artists in a single presentation. Twenty-five sculptures, paintings, works on paper, and a new collaborative installation guide visitors on an absorbing journey into the shadowy depths of the threatened natural world.
While Rockman is a painter of large-scale landscapes, and Dion is known for immersive installations that recall museum dioramas or specimen cabinets, the artists share a common approach. Their work is informed by scientific methodologies and enlivened by allegory, dark humor, and popular culture tropes. Rockman’s paintings are shown alongside Dion’s installations throughout the exhibition. Both artists collaborated on American Landscape, a sculptural installation created especially for this exhibition. This zoological group portrait diorama, set on a golf course, features a cast of scrappy species that, according to the artists, successfully “exploit niches and opportunities generated by a human-transformed landscape” representing “the future global ecosystem.”
The exhibition was made possible by the American Federation of Arts, with support provided by Elizabeth Belfer and Victoria E. Triplett. The Lowe Art Museum's presentation of this exhibition is made possible by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the City of Coral Gables; Beaux Arts Miami; the Lowe Advisory Council; Tony Ulloa; Waqas Wajahat; and Lowe members.
Image: Alexis Rockman, The Farms, 2000. Oil and acrylic on wood panel, 96 x 120 inches. Collection of Joy of Giving Something, Inc., New York. Courtesy American Federation of Arts
