Christopher MarleyExquisite Creatures
About
Featuring hundreds of specimens—ranging from butterflies, birds, fish, snakes, and crystals—Exquisite Creatures celebrates the aesthetics of our natural world. This exhibition is a dialogue with art, nature, and science that asks the question: What is it about the natural world that calls to us? Throughout the exhibition, artist and naturalist Christopher Marley reflects on humanity’s intimate relationship with nature, revealing its intricate beauty and diversity through three-dimensional works comprised of animal, mineral, and plant specimens arranged in precise, geometric compositions. Shown together, the works create an immersive environment, which inspires wonder and fosters a desire to preserve the natural world.
About the Artist:
Christopher Marley is an artist, naturalist, photographer, and author who uses preserved natural specimens as his medium. He grew up in the Pacific Northwest, immersed in nature from an early age. His work is born of a desire to share the beauty of the natural world to inspire both the urbane and the nature aficionado alike. Marley believes that the deeper the appreciation for the aesthetics of nature, the more eager we are to immerse ourselves in it and conserve it. All of the vertebrates that Marley uses in his work are reclaimed after dying of natural causes. He has innovated techniques for a host of organisms that are not typically considered good candidates for preservation. He also utilizes the insects that are collected or bred in an environmentally sensitive manner using a worldwide network of people and institutions that share his passion for nature.
Lender
Art Bridges Foundation
Space Requirements
3,000 sq ft / 352 linear ft
Loan Duration
6 months
Support
Art Bridges is dedicated to partnering with and supporting institutions that focus on developing engaging, accessible, and dynamic exhibitions. Art Bridges provides 20% to 70% of total eligible costs while it's at your museum and significant funding for Learning & Engagement programming for outreach and engagement to bring new audiences.
