During my time at home over the summer I visited the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate. The exhibition 'Curiosity: Art and the Pleasures of Knowing' was particularly relevent to my dissertation. The theme of the exhibition was collection and was curated in a way that made it really feel as if you were stepping into a cabinet of curiosities. It featured work from Thomas Grunfeld who uses taxidermy in a playful way, piecing together bits of different species, alongside old vicorian taxidermy from the Horniman museum. Objects from different historical periods were juxtaposed to create an exciting collection and a warped sense of reality. The exhibiton raised questions about whether we collect for pleasure or knowledge or for both. I was really pleased to see some original pages of writing and drawing from Leonardo Da Vinci but taken out of context, it was hard to understand what they were about. They took on a new meaning in the gallery space behind glass and under spotlights and of course, they were there solely because they had been created by Leonardo Da Vinci.

I particularly liked the work of artist Nina Katchadourian. Her project 'Seat Assignment' is a body of work created using whatever materials were to hand on 107 flights from 2010 to present. The series 'Self Portraits in A Flemish Style' was especially amusing.

This work demonstrates the playfulness of the exhibition collection and in this context, Katchadourian's photogrpahs became a thing of curiosity. 

More information about the exhibition can be found here: Curiosity: Art and the Pleasure of Knowing